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THEsSTOEY-OF 

JOHN PAUL JONES 



FAMOUS AMERICANS 
FOR YOUNG READERS 

Titles Ready 

GEORGE WASHINGTON By Joseph Walker 

JOHN PAUL JONES By C. C. Eraser 

THOMAS JEFFERSON By Gene Stone 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN By J. Walker McSpadden 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN By Clare Tree Major 

DAVID CROCKETT By Jane Corby 

ROBERT FULTON By L N. McFee 

THOMAS A. EDISON By L N. McFee 

HARRIET B. STOWE By R. B. MacArthur .^^ 

MARY LYON By H. O. Stengel f 

Other Titles in Preparation 



V» y. -y. i». j»y 

FAMOU5 AMERICANS 

j^. THE sSTOEY • OF * 

* JOHN PAUL JONES > 

* BY * 

CHEUEAC.FBAsSEB * 

* 'I. — ^ ♦ 




* It 

BAESB (Sl. HOPKINS 



e «- \ ^ a a 3 






t 



Copyright, 1922 
BY BARSE & HOPKINS 



PaiNTED IM" THE U. S. A. 

ftiJG -2 1922 

©Cl.A«77735 



rc:> 

I 

i 



PREFACE 

For a corking tale of the sea it would be 
hard to find in all fiction a story to equal that 
of John Paul Jones, a figure of sober history. 
Yet history was not so "sober" after all, in 
those days when piracy was an actual fact, 
and even nations at times winked at privateer- 
ing on the high seas. Jones was born with a 
love of the salt spray in his nostrils. He came 
to this country as a mere lad, but already a 
skilled sailor. When the Revolution broke 
out, he obtained command of a ship, and was 
the first to fly the Stars-and- Stripes in for- 
eign waters. Then came his deeds of daring 
against the British Navy, and his repeated 
victories over tremendous odds. The fight be- 
tween the Bon Homme Richard and the 
Serapis is a classic. "Surrender?" he cried 
with most of his rigging shot away, and his 
vessel sinking, "Why, I have just begun to 
fight!" 

Belated honors were done to his memory, a 
few years ago, when his body was brought 
home from a neglected grave in France, and 
reinterred at Annapolis with all the honors in 
the gift of the nation. When the readers 
young and old lay aside this thrilling story. 



PRE! ACE 

they also will understand why America honors 
his memory. He may be regarded as the 
founder of the United States Navy. His flag, 
whether flying at the masthead of some saucy 
little sloop-of-war or on a more formidable 
ship of the line, never knew what it was to be 
hauled down in defeat. His name has become 
a tradition among all sea fighters. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGB 

I. The Storm 9 

II. The Land Across the Sea ... 21 

III. The Young Sailor ..... 31 

IV. The Young Planter .... 45 

V. The Birth of the United States 

Navy 55 

VI. Raising the First American Flag . 63 

VII. An Inglorious Cruise ...... 75 

VIII. The Young Captain 84 

IX. Aboard the "Ranger" .... 98 

X. In the Enemy's Own Waters . . 110 

XL Outwitting the "Drake" . . . 125 

XII. The Queer Conduct of Captain 

Landais 139 

XIII. Fighting Friend and Foe . . . 150 

XIV. Diplomacy and Society .... 163 

XV. And the Last 172 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

John Paul Jones Frontispiece 

From a portrait by Chappel 

FACING PAGE 

Fight between the Serapis and the Bon Homme 

Richard 150 

From a rare print 

Boarding the Serapis 160 

From a rare print 

Paul Jones's Last Burial 178 

Midshipmen escorting the casket to its 
final resting place, in Annapolis, April 
^i, 1906 



THE STORY OF JOHN PAUL 

JONES 



THE STORM 

In the summer of 1759, James Younger, 
a prosperous shipowning merchant of White- 
haven, England, found himself short of sailors 
to man a new vessel he had just secured. Said 
he to himself, "I know just where I shall be 
likely to pick up such fellows as I need. To- 
morrow I shall go to Arbigland." 

Arbigland was a small fishing-village di- 
rectly across the Solway Firth, a sort of big 
bay which cuts a wedge into the borderline of 
Scotland and England and reaches out into 
the blueness of the Irish Sea. From this port 
fishing-boats in great numbers were wont to 
go forth in the early morning of the day and 
return at sunset with their catch. Practically 
every home was the hearth of a fisherman and 

9 



10 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

his family — sturdy, weather-beaten men who 
knew the whims of a boat and the tricks of the 
sea better than they knew how to read and 
write; sturdy, hard-working mothers who 
knew more about baking bread and rearing 
good children than they did about social func- 
tions and social etiquette; sturdy lads and 
lassies who lived in the open and knew more 
about entertaining themselves with the rugged 
and wholesome interests of nature than they 
did about ball-rooms, wine suppers, and 
"movies." From Arbigland Mr. Younger 
had more than once before obtained excellent 
sailors, as had indeed many another ship- 
merchant and short-handed captain. 

Mr. Younger's hopes of securing good sea- 
men in Arbigland were soon fulfilled. He 
found no trouble in signing up nearly enough 
that very evening, among them several officers. 
The following morning he completed his list, 
but did not attempt an immediate return to 
Whitehaven on account of bad weather. That 
day the winds increased and the sea became 
constantly more and more violent. By mid- 
afternoon the waves were running so high that 
the fishermen who had gone out came scurry- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 11 

ing in, glad to find a safe anchorage in the 
harbor. 

Seeing a knot of idlers gathered on the 
waterfront, he joined them to find out what 
they were looking at. Not until one of them 
had painstakingly pointed out to him a small 
object, now in view on the crest of a moun- 
tainous wave, now vanished from sight in the 
trough of another, did he suspect that it could 
be a boat that had failed to get in. 

"It's Johnnie Paul and his little dory, I be 
sure," observed one of the fishermen, who held 
a glass to his eyes. **It looks fair bad f 'r the 
lad this time, an' na mistake. It's gude his 
ain faither don't ken the boy's peril." 

**On'y twelve — a mere baby — an' him 
a-fightin' this nor'easter!" put in another fish- 
erman, with a sorrowful shake of his grizzled 
head. "T'bad Johnnie's recklessness should 
'a' got him in this ^x. I'm afraid the lad's 
love for the sea will spell his doom this blow. 
He's a muckle bright lad, too." 

"An' a born seaman. If a lad are ever born 
to the sea Johnnie Paul are that chap," said 
another Scotsman in tarpaulin. "Mind ye, 
boys, we seen him make port afore in stoorms 



12 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

a'most this bad. Mayhap he'll do it noo. He's 
got the luck o' the devil in his small frame, that 
he has I" 

Whether it was "the luck of the devil" or 
just plain unvarnished skill which brought 
Johnnie Paul safely into port again that day 
will probably never be known. But the 
chances are, if luck entered into the matter 
at all, that good seamanship and intrepid dar- 
ing performed the largest share of the per- 
formance, for, as the minutes went on and 
the small boat came bobbing nearer and 
nearer, it was evident to every one of those 
assembled seafaring men that the youngster 
was handling his steed with unusual clever- 
ness. Virtually flying in the very face of dis- 
aster and death, the lad clung coolly to the 
tiller, his eyes snapping with excitement, his 
dark-brown hair tossing, while the vicious 
nor'easter almost tore his reefed sail from its 
fastenings, drenched him to the skin with its 
wild spray, and drove his cockleshell of a 
craft swiftly forward. 

Held spellbound by the struggle between 
boy and wave, thrilled at the magnificence of 
the lad's courage and the adroitness of his 



JOHN PAUL JONES 13 

movements as his tiller-hand avoided yawning 
danger after yawning danger, Mr. Younger 
found himself praying for the safety of the 
daring young boatman, as he might have 
prayed for the deliverance of one of his own 
children from such a threatened fate. And it 
was with a vast sense of relief and thankful- 
ness that, a little later, he saw Johnnie Paul 
guide his frail vessel into the protected waters 
of the harbor and up to the wharf, where she 
was securely made fast. 

Indeed, Mr. Younger was one of the very 
first to shake the hand of the dripping boy 
and congratulate him on his splendid perform- 
ance. "If I mistake not, one of these days 
you will be a great sailor, my lad," said he, 
little knowing that he was predicting a truth. 

Johnnie Paul blushed painfully. But 
quickly the snap and sparkle returned to his 
hazel eyes. "Sir, it is what I should like to 
be — a great sailor," he said. 

Other words followed. "I shall see your 
father. Perhaps we can induce him to let you 
join one of my vessels," observed the ship- 
owner from Whitehaven. "You are very; 



14 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

young, but old enough to become an appren- 
tice or ship's-boy." 

Young John Paul ran home as fast as his 
legs could carry him, his heart beating with 
joy. Oh, such luck! It seemed to him he had 
always wanted to be a sailor — a real sailor, 
one who could tread a big vesseFs deck, climb 
her rigging, and go far out to sea past that 
misty blue line that separated home waters 
from the mystery and adventure of the domain 
lying leagues beyond. 

Since he was a mere baby he recalled that 
he had always had a passion to sail something, 
even so simple a thing as a leaf, the half of a 
walnut shell, a bit of wood supporting a paper 
sail. And, in the beginning, the duck-pond, a 
horse-trough, or a puddle of rainwater, had 
been his sea. But he outgrew these limitations 
as he outgrew his kilts: more room must be 
provided for his bounding spirits and ex- 
panding ambition. Then had come first 
thoughts of the seashore ; father's and mother's 
warnings that the strong tides of the Solway 
were too dangerous to play with, had only 
increased his desire to tussle with them. So he 



JOHN PAUL JONES 15 

had run away, been sternly chastised, had run 
away again — until at length, despairing of 
restraining his son from the natural craving of 
his heart, John Paul senior threw away his 
switch and left the youngster to the care of 
Providence whenever his footsteps prompted 
him waterward. 

As time went on, young John had grown 
into a sturdy lad whose chief delight was to sail 
oif in the fishermen's boats for a day's catch. 
What he dreamed, what he planned, as he 
watched the far horizon, no one knows, for he 
was not the kind of a boy to tell others of his 
inner thoughts at that age. But that he did 
have frequent golden dreams we may rest 
assured, since, between the times he was mak- 
ing himself useful in casting and hauhng in 
the nets, his older comrades often caught him 
in abstracted study of distant spaces. 

In those days Scottish schools were not 
what they are now. There were very few of 
them then, and the instruction had not begun 
to reach the thoroughness it has since attained. 
Less than a dozen children attended the little 
school in Arbigland to which Johnnie Paul 



16 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

had been consigned at the age of eight. It 
was so difficult to get a teacher that sometimes 
for weeks at a time there was no one to hold 
forth in that office. These occasions were very 
satisfying to oiu* Johnnie Paul, for the truth 
is, he much preferred paddHng around the 
water to fingering over the pages of his books. 
But he was not lazy, and during the short time 
he did spend under the roof of a schoolhouse, 
he must have applied himself, for the records 
show that at twelve years of age he could figure 
and read and write very well indeed for that 
period. 

The lad's mother had been Jean Macduff, 
the daughter of an Argyll Highlander who 
had moved into the Lowlands, there to aban- 
don his trade of armorer and become a farmer 
near New Abbey. Jean Macduff later left 
her home and came to Arbigland to accept a 
position as lady's-maid to a Mrs. Craik whose 
husband was a prosperous land-owner pos- 
sessing an extensive estate and splendid build- 
ings on top of the promontory hanging above 
the shores of the Solway. 

When quite a young man, John's father, 
a Lowlander, had also found employment on 



JOHN PAUL JONES 17 

the Craik estate as gardener, and later by rea- 
son of his faithful work and popularity in the 
community, he had been made game-warden. 
The young gardener and the young lady's- 
maid soon fell in love with each other, were 
married, and in due course of time were blessed 
with five children, of whom Johnnie was the 
youngest. He was born in the year 1747. 
Wilham, the brother, had gone to live with 
a cousin, William Jones, a childless planter in 
Virginia, before John was born. Willie had 
never been back since that day. He had been 
adopted by the distant cousin, and might never 
return, John's parents said, but it was hoped 
and expressed in letters that he would some 
of these days make the long voyage back to 
old Scotland for a brief visit. How Johnnie 
did yearn to see this big brother whose letters 
he loved to read but whom he had never seen! 
Of late he had even dared to think of making 
a voyage himself to American shores, there 
to seek out the long-absent one. 

The Paul cottage, overgrown with creepers, 
and sheltered from the fierce northeast winds 
by thick trees and shrubbery, stood so close to 
the seashore that it was never free from the 



18 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

sound of lapping waters and the boom of 
breakers. It was the boy's delight, before he 
went to sleep of a night, and before he arose 
of a morning, to lie for some time and listen to 
the music of the waves, his vivid fancy invest- 
ing these voices with the power of telling him 
strange tales of strange peoples and strange 
places, far, far away. 

When young John was not on the water, in 
school, or at home, he could usually be found 
somewhere about Mr. Craik's estate. He was 
kindly treated, and the playmate of the sons 
of the good laird's family. With the democ- 
racy of boyhood he and the Craik lads enjoyed 
climbing everything in the neighborhood, from 
the highest trees to the most rugged cliffs, 
where lurked unexplored treasures in the shape 
of sea-birds' eggs. They penetrated caves and 
caverns under the cliffs with that sublime dis- 
regard of tides which is boyhood's happy pre- 
rogative. They lingered at the hearths of Old 
Elspeth and Meg Merrilies, in the valley below, 
drinking in tales of elf and goblin — too fright- 
ened to go home in the dusk, until the servants 
of the big house finally hunted up and retrieved 
them. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 19 

And now all this commonplace existence was 
to be traded off for the more alluring one of 
a sailor's life — if only the stranger from 
Whitehaven did not forget to keep his word 
and ask Johnnie Paul's father and mother to 
permit him to go off to sea — and if that father 
and mother could be prevailed upon to give 
their consent! 

Young John had never covered the distance 
from the waterfront to his humble home as 
quickly as he had that stormy afternoon fol- 
lowing his meeting with Mr. James Younger. 
There he shouted the news to his shocked 
mother, and then, still in his wet garments, ran 
over to the Craik estate and told his father and 
Mr. Craik himself. 

Had not the latter interceded in his behalf 
at the last moment it is doubtful if John Paul 
senior and his good wife would ever have al- 
lowed Johnnie to go, when Mr. Younger called 
that evening and presented the case to them. 
As it was, they finally agreed that their young- 
est son should become an apprentice to the 
Whitehaven ship-owner. 

Then John Paul was indeed a happy boy. 
He did not sleep a wink that night. All 



20 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

through the long hours he lay listening to the 
lashing waves. They had never sounded so 
sweet before. 



II 

THE LAND ACROSS THE SEA! 

"Glide-by, mither! Gude-by, faither! 
Gude-by, dear sisters!'' 

The big ship which had brought Mr. James 
Younger to Arbigland in quest of sailors 
tugged restlessly at her anchor-chains in the 
river. Her sails were being unfurled to the 
fresh breeze by her crew. The storm of the 
day before had subsided during the night, and 
all was ready for the departure. 

Already a yawl-load of newly-engaged sea- 
men had reached the vessel's deck. And now, 
with a little bundle under his arm and the kisses 
of his kinsfolk still warm on his cheek, young 
Johnnie Paul courageously tried to keep back 
the lump that seemed bound to rise in his 
throat, and stepped into the last ship's-boat 
with Mr. Younger himself. As the oarsmen 
bent to their task and the boat left the dock 
farther and farther behind, John waved his 

21 



22 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

hand to the group on the shore. Beside his 
own household Mr. Craik's family were gath- 
ered there to see him off, also every man, 
woman, and child in the village. He knew 
them all. Every one was sorry to see him go, 
and all wished the lad they loved God-speed. 

John had not fancied his eyes would blur 
this way when the final parting should come. 
He had never been away from home before in 
all his twelve years of life. It is no wonder 
that for a short time he had an impulse to ask 
Mr. Younger to turn about and leave him 
behind. 

But fortunately for the country in which 
American children live, this Scotch lad steeled 
himself into seeing his bargain through, be it 
for better or for worse. So he maintained a 
steadfast silence, gazed straight ahead at the 
scurrying sailors aboard the big ship, which 
was now quite close, and, quickly absorbed in 
their movements, soon recovered his enthusiasm 
for the project upon which he had entered. 
Landlubber though they might call him, he 
determined to show these tars that he was no 
stranger to the ways, whims and tricks of water 
even if he were unused to handling a big vessel. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 23 

Two hours later the high diff s marking the 
site of Arbigland were all that young John 
could see of the little fishing-village. They 
were well out in the Solway, plowing their way 
toward Whitehaven, on the adjoining English 
coast. The sea was still quite rough — rough 
enough to have made any lad unused to the 
rolling motion of a boat prodigiously seasick. 
Not so Johnnie Paul. To the disappointment 
of a number of the old salts who expected to 
have sport with him in this way, John went 
about his new duties as serenely as if he had 
been on land. Therefore they found no op- 
portunity to offer him the remedy they were 
wont to hand out to the usual run of ship- 
master's apprentices — 

"Just a wee drap o' saut water, 
And if a piece o' fat pork, after, 
Tied in a string ye tak' an' swallow, 
Ye'll find that muckle change will follow." 

Nor did he have to listen to the suggestion, 
always gravely given, that the sufferer should 
make his will, which did not seem amiss, so 
awful are the pangs of that first hour when 
the no^Hlce is afraid he will die — and the sec- 
ond, when he is afraid he will not! 



24 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

All in all, the Scotch lad stood that first 
short voyage to Whitehaven in fine shape. So 
bravely had he faced the jibes and rough play 
of the sailors coming across the Solway, so 
well had he performed his duties, that Mr. 
Younger's interest in him expanded. When 
they reached port he had the boy take quar- 
ters with him at his own splendid home, where 
Mrs. Younger treated him with as much con- 
sideration as if he were her own son. Here 
John stayed for almost two weeks, while the 
new vessel on which he was to sail was taking 
on her finishing touches and being fully pro- 
visioned. In the meantime he was not idle, 
running errands for his host and hostess, work- 
ing in their garden, and making himself gen- 
erally useful. 

Spare moments he put in thumbing his way 
through various volumes in the splendid 
library of Mr. Younger. Indeed, so assidu- 
ously did he apply himself to reading several 
books on naval history that, the day he left, 
the ship-owner presented him with two such 
works, much to John's gratification. With his 
own meager savings he purchased an oilcloth 
wrapper for these treasures and stored them 



JOHN PAUL JONES 25 

carefully away aboard the Friendship ^ the new 
vessel. 

Mr. Younger's line of ships were engaged 
largely in the American trade; so when John 
learned that the Friendship was going to make 
her maiden voyage to Virginia, the very State 
in which his brother Willie was located, his joy 
knew no bounds. Just before he stepped 
aboard for the last time he mailed a letter to 
his mother, telling her of the happy tidings, 
and as the big ship worked out into the Irish 
Sea, with her bow pointed for the New Coun- 
try across the Atlantic, he looked forward to 
the trip with a rare eagerness. 

His ship was commanded by Captain Ben- 
son. This skipper was a stern disciplinarian, 
none too well liked by the crew. Yet he was 
kind to the young apprentice, who found him 
just in every particular, and admired his high- 
spirited nature, so much like his own. 

The lad learned fast. With the sailors he 
was always a favorite. Before the vessel 
reached American waters he could climb a 
mast or yardarm with the most nimble of 
them, and was as fearless as the captain him- 
self when the waves were running high. 



26 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

At last the green shores of America were 
sighted one morning by the lookout at the 
masthead. Near sunset the Friendship 
dropped anchor in the quiet waters of the 
Rappahannock River, not far from the planta- 
tion where Willie Paul lived with William 
Jones, the cousin who had adopted him years 
ago. 

Johnnie's heart beat like a trip-hammer as 
he made his way, after some inquiries, up the 
winding drive which led toward a big white 
house. All around stretched acres of fertile 
fields, now heavy with ripening grain and 
tobacco. At the rear of the great house were 
numbers of smaller buildings, about some of 
which he could see negro children playing. 
Surely all of this could not belong to the Jones 
estate! Why it was bigger than the wonder- 
ful premises of the Craiks ! — even bigger than 
all of the fishing-village of Arbigland itself! 
The Scotch boy faltered. He stopped. He 
must have made a mistake. Once more he 
swept his eyes around at the huge fields, from 
one quarter of which came faintly rolling to- 
ward him the sounds of a rollicking negro 
chorus. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 27 

Just then a tall figure — that of a young 
man — appeared on the portico of the great 
house. This person gazed intently toward the 
lad, then proceeded in his direction. 

As the young man came closer, John saw 
that he was a splendid-looking fellow. While 
slender he had a broad chest and square shoul- 
ders, and a heavy mass of wavy auburn hair 
crowned his bare head, behind which it was 
gathered in the manner of the period. Finer 
breeches, waistcoat, stockings, gaiters, and 
shoes, the boy had never seen. ^ 

The young man's blue eyes looked down 
into John's pleasantly and inquiringly. "Well, 
my lad," said he in perfect English, "can I 
serve you in any manner?" 

"Sir," replied John awkwardly, "I fear I ha' 
been trespassing a wee bit. I ha' just come 
this day in a gude vessel, the Friendship, all 
the way from Whitehaven, England, and I 
am bent on seeing my brither who has lived 
some'r' in these parts this many a year." 

"Your speech shows you to be Scotch. 
What is this brother's name?" asked the 
planter quickly. 



28 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

"Willie Paul it was, but now it be Willie 
Jones because " 

"Willie Jones! And you are . . . ?" 

"Johnnie Paul, sir." 

"Johnnie," said the young man, seizing him 
by the shoulders and squaring him around, as 
he peered earnestly down at the boy, "look 
fairly into my face. Tell me — is there any- 
thing you see there which reminds you of any- 
body you know?" 

"On'y two things, sir. Ye ha' — asking par- 
don — the big ears o' my faither an' the 
twinklin' blue eyes o' my mither." 

The young man smiled. Those blue eyes 
twinkled more than ever. "Johnnie Paul," 
cried he, "you are very observing; but appar- 
ently not enough so to recognize me as your 
brother!" 

The next moment his big arms had swept 
around the little sailor, and Johnnie had never 
known such a happy moment. He was over- 
joyed to meet finally this brother he had never 
seen before. Together the happy pair went 
up the path and into the great house where 
the lad from far-away shores was made the 
welcome guest of the plantation owner and 



JOHN PAUL JONES 29 

foster-father of Willie, William Jones him- 
self. 

Just two weeks the Friendship lay in the 
river discharging her consignment of farm im- 
plements, so much needed by the new settlers, 
for a cargo of tobacco and cotton to be taken 
back to England. Young John's services were 
not required aboard ship during this time, and 
it gave him a fine chance to visit with his 
brother and gain some knowledge of planta- 
tion life. He found that William Paul Jones 
had married since the family in Scotland had 
heard from him last, and that he was now over- 
seer of his foster-father's estate, with a splen- 
did future apparently awaiting him. 

The premises boasted of some of the finest 
horses in the country. It was John's delight to 
mount one of these mettlesome animals and 
with his brother or Mr. Jones go cantering 
down the shady Virginia roads in the neighbor- 
hood, or, at slower pace, cover the grounds 
of the big plantation. Of an evening they 
would call on neighbors, else neighbors would 
partake of the hospitality of the Jones's. The 
boy took an immediate liking to the generous, 
outspoken class of people he met. The Amer- 



80 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

ican boys especially pleased him. In their 
active, fearless play, and love for adventure, 
they seemed a part of his own bold and hardy 
Scotch spirit. Many a wrestling bout did he 
indulge in with the best of them, and while he 
was sometimes thrown he had the satisfaction 
of knowing that it never was by a chap younger 
than himself. 

Mr. Jones took a strong fancy to the little 
Scotchman. Since Willie had been adopted 
he had come to regard the elder brother with 
the strongest of paternal affection, but now 
that he had grown up and married, the foster- 
father found himself yearning once more for 
young companionship. Just before Johnnie 
left, this kind-hearted planter offered to adopt 
him also. But the lad's real love was for the 
sea. Much as he liked this interesting, free life 
in Virginia, he did not feel that he could give 
up his precious ships for it. 

So off he sailed for Whitehaven. 



Ill 

THE YOUNG SAILOR 

Life before the mast in 1759 was a hard 
routine, not calculated to make a "sissy" or a 
mollycoddle out of any boy. Colleges and 
training-schools for turning out ship's officers 
there were none; every single man who at- 
tained such executive positions did so at the 
long and laborious expense of time and actual 
service in positions lower down the ladder. 

Johnnie Paul knew all the hard work that 
lay before him, before he had been aboard the 
FriendshijJ a fortnight, for there were many 
old veterans of the crew — failures themselves 
in the way of promotion — who were only too 
glad to try to discourage the lad because they 
felt irritated at their own lack of progress. One 
of the most persistent of these was a black- 
browed, bewhiskered fellow named Tom 
Whiddon. Whiddon was a jealous-minded 
sailor, given to sulky spells, and he seemed to 

81 



32 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

take pleasure in telling John at every oppor- 
tunity that the life of a sailor was a dog's life 
at the best, and that only men of money hav- 
ing a "pull" with the owners could ever hope 
to get an officer's berth. 

The Scotch lad Ustened to Tom Whiddon's 
growling complaints with growing impatience, 
although pohtely enough at first. As the sea- 
man continued to harass him he asked him to 
desist, but this only caused a coarse laugh from 
Whiddon and some of his associates who were 
disgruntled at Captain Benson's apparent lik- 
ing for the young apprentice. 

Finally came a day when the good ship lay 
becalmed. At such times a crew usually has 
difficulty to while away the hours. Between 
the times when they are "whistling for a wind" 
there is httle to do except to talk, tell yarns, 
do stunts, and play practical jokes on one an- 
other. 

John had already found out to his sorrow, 
by reason of several other becalmings on the 
trip from Whitehaven to America, that when 
there is a boy aboard, that boy is hkely to be 
the chief butt of such practical jokes. As then 
it was so now. But as then he also now good- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 33 

naturedly laughed with them at the pranks 
they played at his expense. It was only when 
Tom Whiddon, with a malicious grin on his 
face, publicly called him the "cap'n's baby" 
that Johnnie's quick Scotch temper got the 
best of him. 

Like a flash he stood before the black- 
browed Whiddon, a belaying-pin in one hand, 
his hazel eyes snapping fire, his cheeks burn- 
ing at the injustice of the remark. 

"Say that again, Tom Whiddon, an' I'll 
knock ye flat on this deck!" cried Johnnie. 

There was a tenseness in his tones, an earn- 
estness in his demeanor that should have 
warned Whiddon. But the big bully saw only 
his own gigantic proportions as compared with 
the small bundle of quivering flesh confront- 
ing him. Stung by the lad's threat and the 
amused looks his comrades cast in his direc- 
tion, Whiddon blurted out: 

"Hi say it ag'in — 'cap'n's baby'! an' hif you 
don't " 

The sailor was about to say, "Hif you don't 
drop that belayin'-pin Hi'U trounce you good 
an' proper, ye little snapper," when the boy's 
arm whipped forward, the belaying-pin landed 



34 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

on Whiddon's thick skull and he measured his 
len^h on the deck. * 

The crew had not looked for such summary 
action on the part of the master's-boy no more 
than had the burly Whiddon himself. It had 
seemed ridiculous to think such a small boy 
would go to such extremes in upholding his 
honor and dignity. Now, as they gazed down 
aghast at their fallen comxade, who moved 
not a muscle, they were almost as stunned as 
he. 

When they awoke, one or two of them 
sprang forward and seized the boy, but a half- 
dozen others, including the first and second 
mates, pulled them away. 

"Leave the lad alone!" they demanded. 
** Whiddon got no more than he deserved." 

This seemed to be the consensus of opinion. 
The fellow was deservedly unpopular. Not 
a hand was lifted for his relief until young 
John Paul himself got some water, sprinkled 
it in his face, and brought him to. This ten- 
derness of heart was characteristic of the lad 
in later years. It is said that when he became 
skipper of his own vessel, on more than one 
occasion his hot temper caused him to cuff or 



JOHN PAUL JONES 35 

kick one of his officers for a breach o^ disci- 
phne, while his sympathetic nature immedi- 
ately afterward prompted him to invite the 
culprit to mess with him in his cabin. 

Merchant ships then plying for trade were 
not fitted out with the refinements of a mod- 
ern hotel, as might be said of many of them 
nowadays ; after a few days out even the cap- 
tain's table could not boast fresh provisions, 
and long voyages almost inevitably ended 
with scurvy among the crew, due to lack of 
green vegetables and an overdose of brine. 
Though the menu lacked variety, the same 
could not be said of the names of the dishes 
which were not only picturesque but in some 
cases actually descriptive. For instance, there 
was *'Salt Junk and Pork," "Lobscouse," 
"Plum-duff," "Dog's Body," "Sea Pies," 
"Rice Tail," "Hurryhush," "Pea Coffee," and 
"Bellywash." 

With our steam and wireless to-day it is 
hard to realize the complete isolation which 
was formerly the seaman's lot. Empires 
might rise and fall, and Jack be none the wiser 
until he touched at port, or spoke some swifter 
craft within hail of the skipper's brazen- 



36 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

throated speaking-trumpet. Often becalmed 
for days at a time, in the manner previously- 
referred to, with nothing to break the same- 
ness of glassy water and nebulous horizon, the 
most trifling incident furnished food for con- 
versation and attention. 

Even when the ship was under headway, the 
incessant moaning and whistling of wind 
through the rigging, the dull flapping of can- 
vas at every shift of the breeze, itself bore a 
sense of monotony which made the crew long 
for the sight of a friendly sail or a bit of land. 
Once in port, the captain, relieved of responsi- 
bility, had his own affairs to occupy him 
ashore, as did most of his officers. His crew, 
divided between land and craft alternately, 
were entertained aboard by scores of natives 
with baskets of gewgaws to sell, and very often 
guzzled rum ashore until they could scarcely 
zig-zag their way back to the yawl. 

Despite its temptations, life at sea had a 
broadening influence for the average young 
man of the time. He returned very much more 
the man of the world, with harder muscles, and 
was far better able to take care of himself than 
his stay-at-home brother. On his voyages he 



JOHN PAUL JONES 37 

gathered a store of extensive and varied in- 
formation relating to the races and the geog- 
raphy of the world, that he could never get out 
of books. True, his associations and experi- 
ences made him a rough, blunt-spoken fellow 
as a rule ; but on the whole they made his heart 
more sympathetic for those in trouble, more 
understanding of the big things in life. 

Johnnie Paul was now an attractive lad, 
high-spirited, quick to anger at injustice, open 
and honorable, — traits he seemed to have taken 
from the Highland blood of his mother. To his 
father, the Lowlander, he probably owed his 
restraining sense of strategy and caution. But 
for the latter inheritance of character it is 
likely his bold spirit would often have gotten 
him into trouble, and he could never have won 
the fights which he did later on. While John's 
rough life, in association with common seamen 
from the time that he was twelve years old, 
and his lack of previous education, made diffi- 
cult his becoming what he ardently wished to 
be — a cultivated gentleman — he applied him- 
self diligently to that end. During the long 
years on the deep which followed, by hard 
study the boy educated himself to a consider- 



38 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

able degree, not only in seamanship and navi- 
gation, but also in naval history and in the 
French and Spanish languages. On a voyage 
his habit was to seek out a quiet spot, with his 
books, at every lull in his tasks. On shore, 
instead' of carousing with his associates, he was 
given to hunting out the most distinguished 
or best-informed person he could find ; by chat- 
ting with him, he added to his rapidly increas- 
ing fund of knowledge. His handwriting was 
always the painful scrawl of a schoolboy, prob- 
ably because being far more adept with his 
tongue than with his spelling, he preferred to 
dictate most of his letters, that their recipients 
should not suspect his limited schooling, a mat- 
ter about which he was always very sensitive. 
For four years following his maiden voy- 
age, John Paul was a member of the crew of 
the Friendship. His voyages were mainly to 
and from the West Indies. During this time 
he managed to call twice upon his brother 
Willie in Virginia, and each time the people 
there grew to like him better, and he to appre- 
ciate the attractions of the New Country. He 
also had been to see his folks at Arbigland once 
or twice, on occasions when his ship was laying- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 39 

over at Whitehaven, and these were happy 
occasions for all concerned, as we may suppose. 

John's rise in the merchant service was 
rapid. When he was sixteen, a sturdy youth 
with the nimbleness of a cat and almost the 
strength of a man, Mr. Younger retired from 
business, and as a reward to the capability and 
faithfulness of his charge, the ship-owner re- 
turned him the indentures which made him his 
own master. In addition to this he presented 
him to the captain of the King George of 
Whitehaven, a slaver, with recommendation 
that the lad be given an appointment as first- 
mate. 

It must be remembered that at this time the 
slave-trade was not regarded as anything dis- 
honorable. Numerous vessels were attracted 
to it as a money-making venture, and openly 
plied back and forth between the home of the 
black man and the island of Jamaica. Few 
sailors, few officers, few of the people at large, 
thought it wrong to steal lusty young negroes 
and negresses away from their parents and 
kinsmen and offer them for sale to the Jamai- 
can slave-dealers and plantation owners. 

So young John Paul first engaged in the 



40 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

trade without any compunctions of conscience. 
But it was not for long. At the end of two 
years he had seen so many broken hearts 
among the blacks as a result of the forced 
partings, had been an observer of so much un- 
necessary suffering because of the cruelty of 
the rough fellows who handled the human 
freight, that his heart sickened. In fact, so 
disgusted was he that he even sold out the sixth 
interest which he had obtained in the ship, 
quitted it, and boarded the John O'Gaunt, at 
Kingston, Jamaica, bound as a passenger for 
Whitehaven. 

On the trip home the captain, mate, and all 
but five of the crew of the John O' Gaunt died 
of yellow fever. Not a man was left, except 
John Paul, who knew enough about naviga- 
tion to bring the afflicted ship into port. So 
the lad took charge. With neatness and dis- 
patch he guided the brig across the dangerous 
waters of the Atlantic and into her haven. 
Her pleased owners rewarded him with a 
share of her cargo, and gratified him even 
more by making him captain and supercargo 
of a new ship — the John — ^which was engaged 
in the West Indian merchant trade. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 41 

Life on a merchantman is rough enough 
to-day; it was far rougher at that time. To 
maintain disciphne at sea required a strong 
hand and a tongue none too gentle. Kind- 
hearted enough by nature, John had learned 
his lessons by this time; he knew that inde- 
cision and softness had no place in an efficient 
skipper's makeup before his men, and while 
good enough to his crew at all times he in- 
sisted that they obey his commands with 
respect and promptness. 

During the third voyage of the John, when 
fever had greatly reduced the crew and every 
man on board was more or less fretful and 
irritable, Mungo Maxwell, a mulatto carpen- 
ter, became mutinous to such an extent that 
the young commander deemed it advisable to 
have him flogged, not only as fitting punish- 
ment, but as a salutary example for the obser- 
vation of the remainder of the crew. The 
chastisement duly took place. It was not un- 
usually severe, but it happened that, unknown 
to the youth, the man was just coming down 
himself with the scourge. He took to his bed, 
the fever gripped him, and he never arose 
again. 



42 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

A few envious enemies of John immediately 
circulated reports that the mulatto had been 
struck down and murdered by the young cap- 
tain. He was arrested by the governor of 
Tobago, in the vicinity of which the vessel hap- 
pened to be at the time, and taken before the 
tribunal of that place. Since the body of the 
stricken carpenter had been immediately con- 
signed to the deep, following the custom in 
such deaths, it could not be produced to sub- 
stantiate John's claims of innocence, but wit- 
nesses in his favor were plentiful enough to 
aid in his acquittal. 

This incident, in spite of its outcome, wor- 
ried the lad a great deal. His pride was hurt. 
In a letter to his mother and sisters, he referred 
frequently to it with remorse, and in those 
parts where he told of people still throwing it 
up to him in a condemning manner, his lan- 
guage was even bitter. Can we blame him? 

A year later, in 1870, when he was twenty, 
John learned that William Jones, foster- 
father of his brother, had died, bequeathing 
to Willie his entire property of three thousand 
acres, the buildings, animals, slaves, and a 
sloop. A clause of the will particularly per- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 43 

sonal was to the effect that, should the adopted 
son die without children, the estate, excepting 
an adequate provision for Willie's wife, was 
to go to his youngest brother, our John Paul. 

The next two years the young captain con- 
tinued to guide the Two Friends, of Kingston, 
Jamaica, of which he had taken command some 
four years earlier. Numerous voyages were 
made to the Indian Ocean, and cargoes of 
woolen and thread goods brought back. 
Twice trips were made to Baltic ports. 

Finally, in 1771, John obtained command 
of the Betsy, of London, a ship trading with 
the West Indies. This venture made it possi- 
ble for the young man to save a considerable 
amount of money, a goodly share of which he 
fondly anticipated sending home to his mother 
and sisters. 

Just a year later, in 1772, business having 
called him in that vicinity, he ran the Betsy 
into the Rappahannock. He had not seen or 
heard from WilHe for over a year. This 
would be a splendid opportunity. How sur- 
prised his brother would be! 

At the door he was met by a servant who 
knew him at first sight. The negro's eyes 



44 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

danced with delight, his mouth spread into a 

broad grin, showing two rows of glistening 

white teeth. But the next moment he grew 

very sober. 

'^Hush, Marse John," he said in the lowest 

of whispers. "Ah's suah sorry t' tell yo', but 

Marse Willyum am berry, berry sick.'' 

Going in quickly, the young sailor was 

grief-stricken to |ind his brother lying at the 

point of death. 



IV 

THE YOUNG PLANTER 

William Jones was, indeed, too ill to recog- 
nize his brother, and died in that condition. 
John felt the blow keenly, the more so because 
he could not have a last word with the kinsman 
he had seen so little of, and had come to regard 
with such strong affection. 

In accordance with the provisions of the will, 
the bulk of the estate was now due to go to 
Johnnie Paul, provided the latter would ac- 
cept Jones as a surname. Our young sailor, 
after some deliberation, decided to make the 
change, settle down, and become a Virginia 
planter. But he could not satisfy himself with 
dropping the name of Paul. This was a fam- 
ily heirloom which he felt he must preserve, 
especially now since he was the only male mem- 
ber of his immediate family possessing it, his 
good father having gone some months before. 
Therefore, he forthwith discarded his Chris- 
tian name of John — whose commonplaceness 

45 



46 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

he had never liked — and became known as Paul 
Jones. Under this half-assumed appellation 
he did the really big things of his career which 
brought him fame. Under it he shouldered re- 
sponsibilities of which any true-hearted, loyal 
American citizen might well be proud, al- 
though he was only the son of a poor Scotch 
gardener, a young man without education, 
without a country he could really claim as his 
own. 

Paul Jones — as we shall now have to call 
him — found that he had inherited "3000 acres 
of prime land, bordering for twelve furlongs 
on the right bank of the Rappahannock, run- 
ning back southward three miles, 1000 acres 
of which are cleared and under plough or 
grass, 2000 acres of which are strong first- 
growth timber; a grist-mill with flom*-cloth 
and fans turned by water power; mansion, 
overseer's house, negro quarters, stables, to- 
bacco houses, threshing-floor, river-wharf, one 
sloop of twenty tons, thirty negroes of all 
ages (eighteen adults), twenty horses and 
colts, eighty neat cattle and calves, sundry 
sheep and swine; and all necessary means of 
tilling the soil." 



JOHN PAUL JONES 47 

With the property came also old Duncan 
Macbean. This canny, tough old Scotsman 
WiUie Jones had saved from the tomahawks 
of the Indians at the time of Braddock's rout. 
He had brought him home, nursed him until 
well of his wounds, and then made him over- 
seer of the plantation. In this capacity Dun- 
can had amply proved his efficiency. He had 
become greatly attached to the place, and in 
his will the master had requested that he be 
continued as overseer as long as he was physi- 
cally and mentally capable. 

Paul Jones sent the Betsy back to London 
under the command of his first-mate, with 
word to her owners that, for the present at 
least, he was relinquishing the attractions of 
the sea. He then settled down in earnest to 
the new life that had opened up before him. 

As in everything he undertook, he waded 
into the duties confronting him with an inter- 
est keen and thorough. He was not afraid to 
ask questions of those whose experience war- 
ranted them knowing more than he about his 
new task, no matter how humble or high their 
stations. In this way he learned the tricks of 
the planter with surprising rapidity. It was 



48 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

not long before he saw the advisability of ro- 
tating his tobacco crops with sowings of maize, 
that the fertility of his fields might not be 
exhausted, and a number of neighboring 
planters who had never thought of such a thing 
before, followed suit. 

There was not a horse on the plantation, nor 
in the county which could unseat him. So 
much was he liked by his slaves that they antici- 
pated his every wish, it seemed. In the early 
day, before the sun had become intolerable, he 
rode over his broad acres at a leisurely pace, 
noting the crops, the black workers, the 
pickaninnies at play, — everything. Appar- 
ently nothing tending toward a betterment of 
the condition of his help and the acres they 
tilled seemed to escape him. A gentle bit of 
censure here, a pat on a woolly head there, a 
trinket in a child's outstretched dusky hand, 
and he would turn his horse's head in another 
direction. 

The surrounding forests contained game in 
profusion ; and the low sandy marshes around 
Urbana abounded in great flocks of snipe and 
other water-fowl. With old Duncan Macbean 
the young master often shouldered the fine 



JOHN PAUL JONES 49 

Lancaster rifle left by his brother, stuck a 
brace of pistols in his belt, and spent a day 
in the wilds. No better shot than the old 
Scotsman could be found in the whole coun- 
try. Although an old Indian wound had left 
him lame, this in no wise interfered with his 
wonderful skill with either pistol or rifle. He 
could shoot from either hand or either shoul- 
der, from almost any position, and put a ball 
through a wild turkey's head at a hundred 
yards. 

Paul Jones could scarcely credit the evi- 
dence of his eyes when he first saw old Dun- 
can shoot, for he had never seen such accuracy 
before. An intense desire came over him to 
master firearms with equal skill. He im- 
parted this wish to his overseer, and the con- 
sequence was that in the course of the next 
two years the old veteran taught him to handle 
the pistol and rifle with a deadliness which 
became the talk of the countryside. 

However, the ability to shoot was really 
more a matter of necessity than an accomphsh- 
ment in those days. Scattering bands of the 
Rappahannock Indians often stole down 
stream to the holdings of the Scotch-Irish 



50 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

planters along the tidewater shores, and when 
opportunity offered, ran off portions of their 
live stock, or even sent a wicked arrow through 
an unwary white man. In her scrolled coach, 
creaking and swaying on its great hinges and 
leather straps, milady never took her airings 
down the rough sandy roads without a guard- 
ing retinue of armed slaves and whites. Nor 
did men themselves venture forth in the fast- 
nesses without their fingers playing about ham- 
mer and trigger, ever ready to throw up the 
former at the slightest suspicious sight or 
sound, ready to pull the latter when they be- 
came convinced that such a procedure was 
warranted. 

Young Paul Jones enjoyed his new life to 
the utmost. The constant peril from the red- 
skins, the exciting brushes which he and old 
Duncan Macbean had with some of them on 
different occasions, the thrilling hunts in the 
forest, all went to satisfy his active, adventure- 
loving nature. On the other hand, he had 
plenty of spare time in which to gratify his 
ambitions for study, for becoming a man of 
power in his own section as well as in the affairs 
of the new nation. He continued to study 



JOHN PAUL JONES 51 

from books, perfected his knowledge of the 
French and Spanish languages, and even 
traveled over the Colonies quite extensively. 
He entertained lavishly at home. His gal- 
lantry and courtesy made him very popular. 

In his trips away from home he met many 
prominent statesmen of the time, and re- 
newed friendships with others whom he had 
previously met. Among the latter was Joseph 
Hewes, with whom he was unusually intimate. 
Other noted men of his acquaintance were 
Thomas Jefferson, Philip Livingston, George 
Washington, Benjamin Frankhn, the Lees, 
and Robert and Gouverneur Morris. 

For some time the Colonists had been grow- 
ing more and more restless under the burden- 
some taxes and conditions imposed upon them 
by England, the mother-country. The gov- 
ernors she appointed seemed to deal with the 
people unjustly, even cruelly at times. Pro- 
tests did no good. If one official was removed 
a worse one was put in his place. So life in 
the new land, instead of flourishing, became a 
burden. 

Bitterness began to creep into the voices of 
the Colonists when they talked of Great 



52 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Britain. The man who thought conditions all 
right was frowned upon by the majority and 
called a "Tory." He was told either to keep 
his silence, or go back across the seas. The 
majority — the "Whigs" — did not want such 
men howHng for the king on the virgin ground 
which they had come hundreds of miles to set- 
tle and keep free from the fetters of aristo- 
cratic rulers and their smothering taxes. 

In 1774, Paul Jones, then twenty-seven 
years of age, returning from Edmonton, 
stopped over in Norfolk to visit some friends. 
Several British ships lay at anchor in the har- 
bor. The Colonists forgot their grievances 
under the impulse of their natural hospitality. 
Wishing to show kindness to the king's sailors 
rather than loyalty to his empire, the Ameri- 
cans entertained the officers at an elaborate ball. 

As customary at such functions wine was 
furnished. Instead of partaking of this spar- 
ingly, most of the young English officers 
drank freely, and became very insolent and 
abusive. Stepping up to one of the most talka- 
tive of them — Lieutenant Parker, by name — 
Paul Jones demanded: 

"Did I not overhear you say, sir, that in the 



JOHN PAUL JONES 53 

case of a revolt in this country England will 
easily suppress it?" 

"Thash jus' what I said," replied Lieuten- 
ant Parker thickly. "Mean it too, m'lad. But 
I might add that if the courage of your men 
ish no iiner'n the virtue of your women, you'll 
be licked before the fight's one day old." 

In an instant the fist of the young planter, 
as hard as an oak knot beneath its laced cuff, 
swung out from his broad shoulder. The 
British officer went down like a log. 

At once there was an aggressive movement 
on the part of his comrades; but the Amer- 
icans, now thoroughly aroused to the defense 
of their ideals, flocked around Paul Jones in 
such numbers that the king's men fell back, 
picked up their helpless companion, and hur- 
ried aboard their ships. 

Expecting that, after the custom of the day. 
Lieutenant Parker might challenge him to a 
duel, Paul Jones at once proceeded to make 
arrangements with a friend, Mr. Granville 
Hurst, to represent him in the event of any 
negotiations. 

"Propose pistols at ten paces," said the 
young planter. "Advise the gentleman I will 



54 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

meet him at Craney Island, at such time as he 
may desire." 

But this meeting never took place, for the 
very good reason that Lieutenant Parker 
heard about Paul Jones's unerring use of a 
pistol; his sloop departed at ebb tide for 
Charlestown, and, so far as he was concerned 
personally, the incident seemed closed. 

The Colonists, however, did not forget it in 
a hurry. Like wildfire the news of the encoun- 
ter spread. Colonial newspapers all gave 
considerable space to it. Suddenly Paul Jones 
found himself the most-talked-of man in Vir- 
ginia. He was the hero of men, women, and 
children. Unofficially he had struck the first 
blow of the threatening conflict with England. 



V 

THE BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY 

The following spring — that of 1775 — Paul 
Jones decided to board his sloop and make a 
little pleasure trip by sea to Boston. With 
his crew and two favorite slaves, Cato and 
Scipio, he sailed down the river, worked out 
into the Atlantic, and keeping close to the New 
Jersey headlands, pointed north. 

When he reached New York he dropped 
anchor, intending to meet some of his friends 
in that city. One of the very first of these he 
encountered was William Livingston, This 
patriot's face showed plenty of excitement. 
*'Paul, have you heard the news?" he asked. 

"I have not been favored," replied Paul 
Jones. "I trust it is nothing serious concern- 
ing your own family." 

"I fear it is serious ; but it concerns my fam- 
ily no more than it concerns any other family 
in the Colonies," was William Livingston's 

55 



56 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

answer. *'Paul, my friend, the British have 
beaten us at Lexington!" 

Paul Jones was gravely concerned. He 
plied his friend with many questions. After a 
long discussion they parted. The young 
planter immediately gave up his plans for visit- 
ing Boston; he wished to go home and in the 
seclusion of the plantation calmly think over 
the matter and decide what to do. 

Within twenty-four hours after his arrival 
he sent to Thomas Jefferson the following let- 
ter: 

"It is, I think, to be taken for granted that there 
can be no more temporizing. I am too recently from 
the mother country, and my knowledge of the temper 
of the king, his ministers, and their majority in the 
House of Commons, is too fresh to allow me to believe 
that anything is, or possibly can be in store except 
either war to the knife or total submission to com- 
plete slavery. 

... "I cannot conceive of submission to com- 
plete slavery; therefore only war is in sight. The 
Congress, therefore, must soon meet again, and when 
it meets it must face the necessity of taking those 
measures which it did not take last fall in its first 
session, namely, provision for armament by land 
and sea. 

"Such being clearly the position of affairs, I beg 
you to keep my name in your memory when the Con- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 57 

gress shall assemble again, and in any provision that 
may be taken for a naval force, to call upon me in 
any capacity which your knowledge of my seafaring 
experience and your opinions of my qualifications 
may dictate." 

One morning, a short time after this, Paul 
Jones received word that two French frigates 
had come to anchor in Hampton Roads. With 
the hospitahty of the true sailor and true Vir- 
ginia planter he loaded his sloop with the best 
green vegetables the plantation afforded, and 
started down the Rappahannock to welcome 
the newcomers. 

The two frigates were in comimand of Cap- 
tain De Kersaint, one of the ablest officers in 
the French navy, who afterwards became an 
admiral. The second in command was no less 
than the Due De Chartres, eldest son of the 
Due D'Orleans, who had sent De Chartres to 
America on a "cruise of instruction," to fit 
him for the hereditary post of Lord High Ad- 
miral of France. He was Paul Jones's own 
age exactly, and with his charming wife, the 
Duchesse De Chartres, he received the young 
planter with a great cordiality. Their Uking 
for Paul Jones increased as they chatted. In 
fact, the Duke himself took such a violent 



58 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

fancy to their guest that when the latter asked 
if he might be shown plans of the construction 
of their splendid frigate. La Terpischore, 
with a view to offering suggestions to the 
Colonists in building war craft, the French 
nobleman readily assented. With royal pre- 
rogative he ordered his ship's carpenter to 
make deck and sail drawings, hull details, — 
everything that could in any way aid the young 
Scotchman in understanding the essential con- 
structive features of the vessel. 

It was of inestimable advantage to Paul 
Jones to have had the opportunity of inspect- 
ing at such close range, much less get draw- 
ings of, one of the best and most modern ships 
of the French navy. It is not strange that 
the American frigate Alliance, built some time 
later, followed closely the same general Hnes 
as La Terpischore; that she mounted the 
same battery — ^twenty-eight long 12-pounders 
on the gun deck, and ten long 9-pounders 
above. Was this merely a coincidence? Or, 
on the other hand, did the young Scotchman 
have a hand in the matter? 

At a meeting of the Continental Congress 
on May 10, 1775, the Naval Committee in- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 59 

vited Paul Jones to lay before it such informa- 
tion and advice as might seem to him useful 
in assisting the committee in discharging its 
labors. Paul Jones felt strongly on the sub- 
ject of establishing a navy, and thought that 
the only way to start was to offer prizes to the 
crews of privateersmen. In a letter to Joseph 
Hewes he observed : 

"If our enemies, with the best estabhshed 
and most formidable navy in the universe, 
have found it expedient to assign all prizes 
to the captors, how much more is such policy 
essential to our infant fleet? But I need no 
argument to convince you of the necessity of 
making the emoluments of our navy equal, if 
not superior, to theirs." 

In this appeal to Congress there was good 
common-sense. Paul Jones was not actuated 
by a love of gain; he was in the struggle be- 
cause he thought it a righteous cause. Yet he 
knew that while he had the profits of his plan- 
tation for the past two or three seasons — some 
4000 pounds — ^to fall back upon when his 
Government allowances should fail to meet 
expenses, the average Colonist did not. The 
wives and children of the latter must be fed 



60 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

and clothed while he was away fighting. Un- 
less he could be promised ample revenue from 
prizes, Paul Jones knew that Jack would fight 
half-heartedly and in the dumps, even though 
he loved his country in every fiber of his being. 
His pitifully inadequate Government allow- 
ance of eight dollars a month was surely no 
attraction. 

On November 15, 1776, Congress improved 
this situation somewhat, but did not meet Paul 
Jones's wishes in the matter, by resolving 
"that a bounty of twenty dollars be paid to the 
commanders, officers, and men, of such Con- 
tinental ships or vessels of war as shall make 
a prize of any British ships or vessels of war, 
for every cannon on board such a prize at 
the time of such capture; and eight dollars 
per head for every man then on board and be- 
longing to such prize." 

In addition to this General Washington ap- 
proved the following distribution of the prize : 
"That the captain or commander should re- 
ceive six shares; the first -lieutenant, five, the 
second-lieutenant and the surgeon, four; the 
master, three; steward, two; mate, gunner, 
gunner's-mate, boatswain, and sergeant, one 



JOHN PAUL JONES 61 

and one-half shares; the private, one share." 
Nothing was said about the poor cook. Un- 
doubtedly he ranked with the ordinary seaman 
when the time of distribution came. 

To all intents and purposes an American, 
the truth remains that Paul Jones was a 
Scotchman. His enthusiastic soul was wholly 
for the cause of liberty in his new country, 
but the men who envied him and wanted the 
offices for which his high capabilities fitted 
him so signally never let him and others forget 
that he was an ahen. This was, of course, 
quite absurd; for what were they themselves? 
What had they been until a few months ago? 
The fact is, Paul Jones had served under three 
masters, until he was a far more competent 
officer than many of those in the established 
navies of Europe, where influence and patron- 
age often made officers of men of long lineage 
and short experience. 

Thus in the Journal of Congress^ dated De- 
cember 22, 1775, the name of Paul Jones 
heads the list of first-lieutenants, instead of the 
list of captains as it should. His friend 
Joseph Hewes, who championed the candi- 
dates from the southern colonies, had done his 



62 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

best to make the young planter a captain, but 
had failed at the antagonism of John Adams, 
who represented the candidates from the 
northern colonies, which demanded full con- 
trol of naval affairs. 

When affairs had at last been worked down 
to a point of action by sea, the nucleus of the 
first navy of the new country consisted of the 
Alfred, the Columbus, the Andrew Doria, the 
Providence, and the Cabot, Five little ships 
to face the finely-appointed scores of frigates 
and sloop s-of -war in the service of the king! 



VI 

RAISING THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG 

That winter of 1776 was a cold one. Snow 
had lain heavy in the streets of Philadelphia 
since frigid blasts had brought the first 
downfall in December. In January, the Dela- 
ware River, like every other stream in the 
country, was locked in the grip of ice, ice a 
foot or more in thickness. It was only by; 
the constant plying up and down stream of a 

couple of sturdy whaling-ships, equipped with 
steel- jacketed bows, that an open channel 
could be maintained in the Delaware for the 
passage of ordinary wooden-hulled craft. 

Along the waterfront of the city innumer- 
able masts and spars made a somber network 
against the dull blue of the winter sky. On 
board some of the larger of the vessels, despite 
the cold, men were at work repairing and over- 
hauling. Well down the glittering sea of ice 
a group of five ships swung at anchor in the 
channel. Their decks, too, were a scene of 
action. 

63 



64 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

All of this was taken in with a few swift 
glances by a quick-stepping, stalwart young 
man who came down to the wharf and paused 
to look about him. He was a comely-looking 
fellow, with broad shoulders, and a face as 
bronzed as a South Sea Islander's. 

It was the young Scotchman and planter, 
Paul Jones. But his immaculate linen had 
been discarded. In its place he appeared in 
the trim uniform of a Continental marine lieu- 
tenant — ^blue coat with red-bound button- 
holes, round-cuffed blue breeches, and black 
gaiters. 

As he looked about for a boat to take him 
out to the five ships riding at anchor, Paul 
Jones's eye fell on a tall, lithe young man who 
was just in the act of tying the painter of a 
whaler's yawl to one of the wharf timbers. 

Paul Jones stepped briskly up to him. 
*'Pardon me, my fine fellow," he said, "but a 
guinea is yours if you will row me out to the 
larger of yon vessels, the Alfred j where I am 
in urgent service." 

The young man wheeled around, displaying 
features unmistakably those of an Indian, but 
of an unusually intelligent composition. His 



JOHN PAUL JONES 65 

coal-black eyes swept over his questioner. *'I, 
Wannashego, will take the white sea-soldier," 
he replied in excellent English. 

Without further ado, Paul Jones sprang 
nimblv down into the boat. Its owner cast 
loose and followed. 

As his companion pulled lustily away in the 
direction of the American ships, Paul Jones 
sat studying the rower. When and where had 
this redskin of the American forest picked up 
such splendid address? What marvelous trick 
of fate had possessed him of such skill with 
the white man's oars? 

"You are an Indian, are you not?" inquired 
the lieutenant presently. 

''An Indian of Narragansett tribe," was the 
proud reply. 

"Where did you learn to handle a boat in 
this manner?" 

"On whaling cruises, sir." 

"You belong to one of these whahng-ships 
at the wharves, then?" 

"Yes, sir; to Walrus. She Ues upstream a 
bit, sir. Three years I have been with her." 

"How is it you came to leave your people, 
Wannashego?" asked Paul Jones curiously. 



66 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

"My father, Tassa-menna-tayka, a chief 
who loves the white people, he sent me from 
near Martha's Vineyard to learn your ways 
and be like you," declared the young Indian. 
There was a short pause; he turned his head 
for a moment to take his bearings, and then 
continued: "Sir, I ask if yonder ships are to 
fight the great country across the sea?" 

"They are, Wannashego." 

"You goin' to fight on 'em?" 

"I expect to." 

"I like to fight on 'em, too," was the senten- 
tious rejoinder of the young redskin. 

"Do you mean that?" asked Paul Jones 
sharply. "If you do, Wannashego, I think 
I can get Captain Saltonstall, of my ship, the 
Alfred, to ship you, as we are short-handed." 

"Mean it a heap," said the Indian. "I 
ishoot good. Make two bangs — ^get two Red- 
coats." 

Paul Jones laughed. "I hope so. Well, 
Wannashego, I'll see what I can do for you." 

Shortly the boat's nose touched the accom- 
modation-ladder over the Alfred's side. The 
young lieutenant held out the promised guinea 
to Wannashego, but the Indian straightened 



JOHN PAUL JONES 67 

up proudly. "I don't want money," said he. 
*'I like America country heap much. You 
jSght for him, so I help you beat our enemies, 
the Red-coats." 

It was a crude expression of sentiment, but 
Paul Jones interpreted it correctly, and was 
deeply affected by it. "Wannashego," he 
cried, "return to your captain. If he will re- 
lease you, and you still want to fight the Red- 
coat soldiers of the sea, come to me on this 
ship to-morrow and I will stir heaven and 
earth to make you a member of our crew." 

Captain Saltonstall was to command the 
ship, but he had not yet arrived. So, for the 
present at least, upon Paul Jones rested the 
duty of preparing her for sea. Under his 
leadership, arrangements went on speedily 
and smoothly. The Alfred bid fair to be in 
readiness before some of her sister ships, it 
seemed. 

Next morning, before the sun was an hour 
high, a yawl containing two men was seen 
approaching. At first the lieutenant thought 
it might be Captain Saltonstall himself, but 
his glass soon showed him his mistake. It was 
the young Narragansett Indian, Wannashego, 



68 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

who evidently had secured one of the sailors 
of his old ship to row him out to the Alfred. 

Paul Jones made him welcome, telling him 
that he was quite sure the captain would make 
no objection when he should appear. Thus 
Wannashego, the first and one of the very few 
full-blooded Indians to fight in the first navy 
of this country, became a tentative member of 
the Alfred's crew. He took hold of his duties 
happily and energetically, outdoing many of 
his white companions. 

As for the temporary commander, from the 
time the foot of Paul Jones touched the deck 
of the vessel his active spirit pervaded every- 
thing, and the officers under him, as well as 
the men, felt the force of his executive power. 
Besides working all day, he and the other offi- 
cers stood watch and watch on deck through- 
out the wintry nights, to prevent desertions; 
and although every other vessel in the squad- 
ron lost men in this manner, not a single de- 
serter got away from the Alfred, 

"An' I'll bet a herrin' ag'in a p'tater, 
mates," remarked Bill Putters, quartermaster, 
in the confidence of the forecastle, "that this 
Leftenant Jones is a real seaman wot could 



JOHN PAUL JONES 69 

handle this yere ol' gal better'n Cap'n Salton- 
stall. I kin tell it by the cut o' his jib, the way 
he squares away to tackle any job he under- 
takes." 

"Bet so, too, Bill," supported the bos'n, 
Tom Wilkerson; "an* I'll go you a cooky he's 
a fighter. He speaks to most of us so soft 
you might think his voice was a tune from a 
fiddle; but, by Johnny! when Pete Walker 
didn't do what he told him to, yes'dy, he thun- 
dered at him in a way that made poor Pete's 
head rattle with the jar, an' Pete perty nigh 
dislocated his spinal coUum jumpin' to do 
what he wanted him to. I'd like to see the 
leftenant in full charge. If we ever met up 
with any o' them pets of the king you bet there 
would be some fur flyin' — an' it wouldn't be 
ours as much as theirs, neether!" 

One day, in the midst of the bustle of fit- 
ting out the ship, Commodore Hopkins, who 
was to command the little squadron, came on 
board the Alfred, He was formally received 
at the gangway by Paul Jones and shown over 
the ship by him. 

The commodore was a big, heavy-set man 
who had spent the best part of his life at sea. 



70 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

He examined the vessel carefully, but made 
no favorable comments, and the young lieu- 
tenant began to fear his work had displeased 
the senior officer. 

But it turned out otherwise. A little later, 
standing on the quarter-deck, surrounded by 
the officers, Commodore Hopkins turned to 
Paul Jones and said : 

"Your work pleases me extremely, and my 
confidence in you, sir, is such that if Captain 
Saltonstall should not appear by the time these 
ships are due to sail, I shall hoist my flag on 
this ship and give you command of her." 

A flush of gratification arose in Paul Jones's 
dark face. He bowed with the graceful cour- 
tesy that always distinguished him. "Thank 
you, commodore," said he, "and may I be par- 
doned for expressing the hope that Captain 
Saltonstall mav not arrive in time! And 
when your flag is hoisted on the Alfred^ I 
trust there will be ready a flag of the United 
Colonies to fly at the peak-halyards. I aspire 
to be the first man to raise that flag upon the 
ocean!" 

Commodore Hopkins smiled. "If the Con- 
gress is as slow as I expect it will be, some 



JOHN PAUL JONES 71 

time will elapse before it will have adopted a 
flag; and there will not be time to have one 
made, much less, before we sail." 

In this he was mistaken. The Congress 
had practically decided upon the flag, and 
quite certain of its selection, Paul Jones from 
his own pocket had already purchased the ma- 
terials to make it. Bill Putters was an old 
sail-maker, therefore handy with a needle, 
which it was his boast he "could steer like a 
reg'lar tailor-man." To him the young lieu- 
tenant entrusted the making of the first official 
flag of America they had seen — a task which 
swelled old Bill up with a wonderful pride, 
as well it might. 

One stormy February day, when the chan- 
nel had been freed from ice enough for the 
little squadron to get out, the Alfred was 
ready to lend her spotless decks to the formal- 
ity of the flag-raising. Captain Saltonstall 
had arrived some days before. This disap- 
pointed Paul Jones. But he was as ready to 
do his duty as first-lieutenant, as in the hoped- 
for higher office. 

The commodore's boat was seen approach- 
ing on the chill waters of the river. The hori- 



72 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

zon was overcast. Dun clouds, driven by a 
strong wind, scurried across the troubled sky. 
The boatswain's call, "All hands to muster!" 
sounded through the ship. In a wonderfully 
short time, owing to the careful drilling of 
Paul Jnes, the three hundred sailors and one 
hundred marines were drawn up on deck. The 
sailors, a fine-looking body of American sea- 
men, were formed in ranks on the port side 
of the quarter-deck, while abaft of them stood 
the marine guard under arms. On the star- 
board side were the petty officers, and on the 
quarter-deck proper were the commissioned 
officers in full uniform, swords at their sides. 
Paul Jones headed this line. 

When it was reported, "All hands up and 
aft!" Captain Saltonstall emerged out of the 
cabin. At this Paul Jones, having previ- 
ously arranged it, called out, "Quartermas- 
ter!" and Bill Putters, perfectly groomed, 
stepped from the ranks of the petty officers 
and saluted. 

In his hand, carefully rolled up. Bill carried 
a small bundle. Unrolling this he followed 
Paul Jones briskly aft to the flagstaff. He 
affixed the flag to the halyards, along with the 
broad pennant of a commodore just below, 



JOHN PAUL JONES 73 

saw that the lines were free, and then stood at 
attention. 

Meantime the commodore's boat had 
reached the ladder, and he came over the side. 
Just as his foot touched the quarter-deck the 
flag with the pennant, under Paul Jones's 
energetic hands, was hauled swiftly upward. 
At the top the breeze caught it in all its full- 
ness, flung it free to the air, and the sun at 
that moment burst through the clouds which 
had enveloped it, and bathed the emblem in all 
its fresh glory. 

Every oflicer from the commodore down in- 
stantly removed his cap in patriotic reverence. 
The drummer boys beat a double-ruffle. A 
tremendous cheer burst from the sailors and 
marines. 

This was not the present well-known Stars- 
and- Stripes, which was evolved later, but the 
Pine-tree and Rattlesnake Flag with the 
motto, "Don't Tread On Me !" As an emblem 
it was not at all artistic; but the men who now 
saw it flung to the breeze for the first time 
thought only of the sentiment it expressed, a 
sentiment still paramount in the heart of 
every true-blooded American. And among 



74 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

those who so loudly cheered it no man was 
more enthusiastic than the young Narragan- 
sett Indian, Wannashego. 

Commodore Hopkins advanced toward 
Lieutenant Paul Jones and said : "I congratu- 
late you, sir, upon your enterprise. This flag 
was only adopted in Congress yesterday. 
You are the very first to fly it." 

Within an hour the Columbus, the Andrew 
Doria, the Cabot, and the Providence, led by 
the Alfred, were making out toward the open 
sea under full spread of canvas, ready to meet 
whatsoever of the mighty foe that might ap- 
pear. 



VII 

AN INGLORIOUS CRUISE 

The first enterprise determined upon was an 
expedition to the island of New Providence, 
in the West Indies. As it had been learned 
that Fort Nassau was well supplied with pow- 
der and shot — munitions of war sadly want- 
ing in the Colonies — it was thought a sudden 
descent might be profitable. 

The moment the English sighted the little 
squadron, a warning gun was fired from the 
fort, and all haste made to remove and conceal 
as much of the powder as possible. Delayed 
in getting into the harbor by a sandbar at its 
mouth, further delayed by poor judgment on 
the part of Commodore Hopkins, it was some 
time before the smaller vessels could work their 
way in far enough to effect a landing of their 
marines. 

Then it was only to find a small amount of 
arms and stores awaiting them. Chagrined at 

76 



76 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

his ill success, the commodore carried off the 
governor of the island as a hostage. 

Now all sail was set, and the American 
squadron made its way cautiously along the 
New England coast. Although every part of 
these waters was swarming with British vessels, 
it was determined to try to gain an entrance 
into Long Island Sound by way of Narragan- 
sett Bay. 

Paul Jones went about his arduous duties 
as first-lieutenant of the Alfred with his cus- 
tomary energy and determination. But at 
heart he cherished a secret dissatisfaction. 
Coupled with his disappointment at his own 
low official station was a growing impression 
that the senior officer of the squadron, Com- 
modore Hopkins himself, was incompetent. 
In a number of instances during the Provi- 
dence Island operation, the keen eyes of the 
first-lieutenant had caught him in blunders. 
Although the commodore might prove brave 
enough in an encounter, Paul Jones was sure 
that he was not above the average in either 
enterprise or intelligence. At the outset of 
the expedition the young officer was wild to 
meet the enemy, regardless of numbers. Now, 



JOHN PAUL JONES 77 

with a grave doubt gripping his heart, he feared 
that they might meet Commodore Wallace's 
British fleet off Newport. 

But the day passed without adventure. 
Numerous white sails were seen in the distance, 
none of which drew anv nearer. Commodore 
Hopkins, being well weighted down with the 
cannon and supplies captured at New Provi- 
dence, made no effort to investigate these far- 
off ships. "It is well to let sleeping dogs lie," 
he said when Captain Saltonstall proposed 
going after them. 

Paul Jones's intrepid heart was sickened at 
such display of indifference. With his capac- 
ity for meeting extraordinary dangers with 
extraordinary resources of mind and courage, 
he could only despise the risks that other men 
shunned. 

The young Narragansett Indian, who had 
been appointed boatswain's mate by Captain 
Saltonstall, was also clearly disgruntled at the 
commodore's weak attitude. But beyond mut- 
tering impatiently under his breath when he 
heard Commodore Hopkins's remarks about 
"sleeping dogs," and nudging Paul Jones, with 
flashing black eyes, Wannashego was discreet 



78 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

enough to say nothing. Intuitively the brave 
redskin knew that his Scotch friend felt as he 
did. 

Toward night they entered the blue waters 
of Narragansett Bay. A young moon hung 
trembling in the heavens. The sky was cloud- 
less, and the stars shone brilHantly. Wanna- 
shego slipped noiselessly up to where Paul 
Jones stood on the after-deck. The Indian 
youth pointed down to the gurgling green 
swells as they swept aft along the Alfred's 
hull. "These are the waters of my people, the 
Narragansetts," he said softly. "They touch 
the land of my old home and playgrounds." 

"Wannashego, do you wish to go back to 
your people?" asked Paul Jones curiously. 

He shook his black-locked head. "No," he 
answered — "if I can fight Red-coat sea sol- 
diers soon. But if I have to run away when 
see 'em, like this, I like to go back an' ketchum 
whale on whaler- ship ag'in." He ended with 
an expressive grunt of disgust, and took him- 
self off as silently as he had appeared. 

Shortly after this — about midnight — the 
lookout on the Alfred's quarter made out 
Block Island. It seemed that his call had 



JOHN PAUL JONES 79 

hardly died away when a cry of "Sail ho!" was 
heard from the direction of the Cabot. 

With his night-glass to his eye Commodore 
Hopkins saw, about a half-mile away, the 
shadowy form of a ship. Captain Saltonstall 
also took a look at her. Several conjectures 
were raised as to her identity, and then the 
glass was handed to the first-lieutenant. 

"What do you think she is, Mr. Jones?" 
asked Commodore Hopkins. He had more 
confidence in Paul Jones than he dared to con- 
fess, even to himself. 

"I should say she was a British frigate, sir," 
was the heutenant's prompt reply. "She is 
too small for a ship-of-the-line, and she does 
not carry sail enough for a merchantman under 
this breeze. It would seem to me that she is 
merely cruising about on the lookout for some- 
body." 

"That 'somebody' is probably ourselves," 
answered the commodore uneasily, "if she's a 
British frigate as you think. She's likely out 
on scout duty, and has a squadron of sister 
ships somewhere nearby." 

Signal lanterns were raised to the foremast- 
head, asking the Cabot, as the ship nearest the 



80 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

stranger, to engage the attention of the latter. 
But before the captain of the Cabot could com- 
ply it was seen that the distant ship had come 
about and was making straight for the two 
American vessels. 

The decks of the Alfred and Cabot were im- 
mediately cleared for action. No drums were 
beat, or other unnecessary noise made. The 
men worked swiftly, went silently to their 
quarters ; the batteries were masked and lights 
placed behind, while ammunition was hurried 
up from the magazine-room by the powder- 
monkeys, the youngest members of the crew. 

The stranger bore down upon them. Pres- 
ently came a hail from her deck: "Who are 
you, and whither are you bound?" 

The Cabot made answer : "This is the Betsy, 
from Plymouth. Who are you?" 

Every ear was strained to catch the answer. 
It came ringing over the clear water through 
the still night air: 

"His Majesty's ship Glasgow , of twenty- 
four guns!" 

As the Alfred's battery consisted of the 
same number of long 9-pounders on the gun 
deck and six 6-pounders on the quarter-deck 



JOHN PAUL JONES 81 

it was apparent that, if the stranger had not 
lied, her strength in guns must be at least a 
match for the Britisher. In addition to this, 
the American flag-ship had the support of the 
little Cahotj with her own fourteen guns and 
crew of two hundred. Commodore Hopkins 
felt a great relief when he noted this. The 
American crews thought they would make 
short work of the enemy. But not so Paul 
Jones. He had already seen too much incom- 
petence displayed on that cruise to feel any- 
thing but serious misgivings. 

It was now two-thirty in the morning. The 
moon had gone down. Evidently in the dark- 
ness that prevailed the Glasgow was ignorant 
of the fact that there were other American 
ships in the little squadron, else she would have 
approached with greater caution. As it hap- 
pened they did not come up during the fray 
which ensued, and took practically no part at 
all in it. 

The Cabot had now got very close to the lee 
bow of the enemy, and suddenly poured a 
broadside into her. Instantly the British ship 
seemed to wake up to her danger. She wore 
around with all haste, and ran off to clear for 



82 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

action. In twenty minutes she bore down 
again, this time with a grimness of purpose 
that there was no mistaking. 

Paul Jones was in command of the gun 
deck. The Alfred was so heavily laden with 
war trophies that she was down in the water 
almost to her portsills; but the sea was calm 
and her lowness in no wise prevented the free 
use of both her batteries, which were used with 
the utmost ferocity. 

The fighting was kept up until daybreak. 
The Glasgow was hulled a number of times, 
her mainmast was deeply scarred, her sails and 
rigging well riddled with shot. But she had 
disabled the little Cabot at the second broad- 
side from her big guns, and had then concen- 
trated her attention on the Alfred with such 
good marksmanship that the wheelblock of the 
American was carried away and she came 
helplessly up into the wind in such a position 
that the enemy poured in several disastrous 
broadsides before her head could be regained. 
In this maneuver such poor seamanship was 
displayed on the part of Commodore Hopkins 
and Captain Saltonstall that Paul Jones fairly 
boiled within himself ; but he could only hold 



JOHN PAUL JONES 83 

his peace at the time. Later on, in letters to 
his friends, he gave full vent to his disgust at 
the way the American ships were handled ; for 
only one commanding officer — Captain Bid- 
die, of the Andrew Doriuj who gave futile but 
heroic chase to the Glasgow — did he have par- 
ticular praise. 

When, with the coming of morning, the 
British ship retired, she was suffered to get 
away by Commodore Hopkins. He seemed to 
be glad that she had not stayed to do them 
worse damage. The brave American seamen 
fumed in the privacy of the f o'c'sF on that voy- 
age in. Old Bill Putters cursed at every 
breath whenever he was out of an officer's sight. 

The Govermnent held two courts-martial 
following the Glasgow affair. As a result 
Captain Hazard, of the Providence^ was dis- 
honorably dismissed from service, and numer- 
ous other officers censured, among them Com- 
modore Hopkins. Undoubtedly the latter 
would have met with dismissal except for pow- 
erful political influences brought to bear in his 
behalf. 



VIII 

THE YOUNG CAPTAIN 

Although there was a subtle estrangement 
between Commodore Hopkins and Paul 
Jones, each respected the other's character. 
At the close of the inglorious expedition which 
we have dealt with, the senior officer came to 
the conclusion that it would be far less embar- 
rassing to both concerned were the first-lieu- 
tenant of the Alfred placed on some ship other 
than that occupied by the chief of the squadron 
himself. 

Therefore, with more adroitness than he had 
displayed in meeting the enemy. Commodore 
Hopkins managed to induce Congress to offer 
the energetic Scotchman a berth as commander 
of the Providence J in the place of the dismissed 
Captain Hazard. He also permitted him to 
take with him a few of his favorite men, among 
this number Wannashego, the young Indian. 
The latter's joy knew no bounds at this turn 
of events. His stoical Indian nature pre- 
vented any marked display of his satisfaction, 

84i 



JOHN PAUL JONES 85 

but his demeanor could not wholly hide it from 
the attention of his Scotch friend. 

"Now," declared Wannashego, with shining 
eyes, "I sure we will see some heap big fighting. 
If I stay on that other ship, Alfred, one day 
longer I sure run away to the whaler-ship or 
my people. That ^Z/r^^ no brave-ship; just 
squaw- ship — 'fraid to fight!" 

Paul Jones smiled in sjnnpathy. He too 
had felt like a different man since the an- 
nouncement of the change. Now that he had 
full and absolute control of an American ship 
himself, he determined he should show his 
countrjuien and the enemy what he could 
really do. 

The Providence^ his new ship, was a small 
sloop of fourteen guns and about a hundred 
men. She was far from a pretentious vessel to 
look at, but Paul Jones's sharp eyes detected 
in her certain lines which augured for speed, 
and when he once got her out into the broad 
reaches of the Atlantic he found that in this 
surmise of her saihng abihties he had not been 
misled. For her size she was a remarkably 
good sailer. 

For a time the Providence was kept em- 



86 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

ployed in transporting men and supplies along 
the shores at the eastern entrance of Long 
Island Sound, and as this was done in the face 
of numerous British ships which hovered 
around hke so many hornets, the reputation 
of the new commanding officer soon began to 
grow. 

On August 21 Paul Jones sailed on a six- 
weeks' cruise — a cruise which historians have 
termed the first cruise of an American man- 
of-war. At least it was the first to be noted 
by an enemy — ^the first that shed any degree 
of glory on the flag of the new Repubhc, whose 
Declaration of Independence had been signed 
less than seven weeks previously. 

It was a venture worthy of the Vikings and 
their rude boats, for the seas swarmed with 
English frigates outranking the little vessel in 
everything except the alertness of her com- 
mander and the courage of her crew. From 
Bermuda to the Banks of Newfoundland he 
boldly sailed, defying the fastest ships of the 
enemy to catch him, and striking terror to 
British merchantmen and fishermen. 

During the first week of September the 
Providence sighted a large ship which she 



JOHN PAUL JONES 87 

mistook for an Indiaman homeward bound. 
This stranger proved to be the Solehay, Brit- 
ish frigate of twenty guns. Too late the 
Providence discovered her error ; there was no 
chance to withdraw in dignity. 

The Solehay immediately made for the 
American, who took to her heels, relying upon 
her good sailing qualities to escape, as she had 
on many another such occasion. But the Brit- 
isher proved she was no mean sailer herself. 
In fact, she began to overhaul her foe. 

The day was warm and clear. A strong 
breeze was blowing from the northeast. The 
little Providence was legging it briskly over 
the wind-tossed waters. But the Solehay 
gained on her every hour. 

The chase had started about noon. By four 
o'clock the frigate was almost within gunshot. 
The heart of everybody except the commander 
was in the lower regions of his jacket. Paul 
Jones was serene enough; his confidence 
seemed not one whit lessened. Presently he 
displayed the reason for his attitude. 

"Look," said he to his chief officer, as he 
handed him a glass; "do you not notice that 
his broadside guns are still unleashed? He 



88 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

thinks he can take us by firing his bow-chaser. 
What foohshness! Nothing would be easier 
than for us to bear away before the wind and 
run under his broadside." 

Nearly every ounce of canvas on the Provi- 
dence had been flung to the breeze. Still the 
Solebay drew closer. 

"He should know who we are before we leave 
him," declared Paul Jones, with a grim smile. 
He uttered a quick order. The next moment 
the American colors fluttered out at the mast- 
head. 

To their surprise the Solebay acknowledged 
the courtesy by also running up the American 
emblem. 

"He cannot deceive us by that," said Paul 
Jones. "His lines tell me as plain as day he 
is British. But wait; I shall show him_4Some- 
thing in a moment!" 

He called out to the man at the wheel : "Give 
her a good full, Quartermaster!" 

"A good full, sir!" came back the instant 
acknowledgment. 

Paul Jones then ordered the studding-sails 
set. The next moment the helm was put about, 
and before the astonished crew on the Solebay 



JOHN PAUL JONES 89 

knew what was happening, the American sloop 
ran directly under his broadside, and went off 
dead before the wind. 

The British frigate came about in haste and 
confusion. But by the time she was under 
headway again, the American ship was far off, 
her newly-trimmed studding-sails bellying to 
the breeze and gaining speed at every leap and 
bound. Needless to say, the Solehay was now 
out of the running, a very crestfallen enemy. 
Such clever maneuvering her commander had 
never witnessed before. 

Three weeks later the Providence was sauc- 
ily threading northern waters. 

One day, off Cape Sable, Wannashego and 
several others of the sailors asked permission 
to try to catch some of the splendid fish which 
abounded in those cold waters. As they had 
been on salt provisions for a long while, Paul 
Jones readily consented, and the ship was 
hoved to. The men got out their lines, and 
soon began to haul in some fine specimens of 
the finny tribe. 

While they fished, a sharp lookout was kept 
for danger from the British. It was well this 
was done, apparently, for presently a sail was 



go FAMOUS AMERICANS 

made out to windward of them. At once the 
fishing stopped, the Providence set some of her 
light sails, and the anchor was hauled in. 

As the stranger approached, Paul Jones 
convinced himself that she was no such sailer as 
the Solehay, and making sure a little later that 
she was a British warship he determined to 
amuse himself with her. He communicated 
his plans to his officers, and patiently waited 
for the frigate, which turned out to be His 
Majesty's ship, the Milford, 

The young captain made no move until the 
British craft got almost within range, where- 
upon he doubled on her quarter and sped away 
under restrained speed on the new course. 
Mistaking the rate she was traveling at to be 
her best, and cheered at the thought of over- 
taking her, the English captain took up the 
chase with gusto. For seven or eight hours 
the pursuit continued, all this time the Provi- 
dence cimningly keeping just beyond gunshot 
of her enemy, yet seeming to exert herself to 
the limit in maintaining her position. 

Finally getting discouraged at his want of 
success, the Britisher began firing. Turning 



JOHN PAUL JONES 91 

to his chief marine officer, Paul Jones said: 
"Direct one of your men to load his musket, 
and as often as yonder enemy salutes our flag 
with her great guns, do you have your man 
reply with his musket!" 

A broad grin spread over the marine officer's 
face. He soon had his man stationed on the 
quarter-deck, and the next time the frigate 
rounded to and sent a futile broadside in the 
direction of the Providence, the marine ele- 
vated his musket and banged away. Several 
times this performance, a perfect burlesque in 
the quaintness of its humor, was indulged in. 
And each time, as the comparatively mild re- 
port of the musket followed the roar of the 
enemy's big guns, the American sailors 
laughed uproariously and cheered. 

"We have had our fun now, my men," said 
Paul Jones. "This fellow has swallowed our 
bait gloriously; the time has come for us to 
stop fishing and go about our business." 

He thereupon ordered more sail spread, and 
in a short time the astonished Milford — which 
he would have attempted to capture had she 
not clearly been a more powerful vessel — was 



92 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

left well behind. Although he did not know it 
then, the Scotch captain was to meet this foe 
again within the year. 

Before he returned, this bold tiger of the 
sea succeeded in capturing sixteen British ves- 
sels. He also made an attack on Canso, Nova 
Scotia, thereby releasing several American 
prisoners; burned three vessels belonging to 
the Cape Breton fishery; and in a descent on 
the Isle of Madame destroj^ed several large 
fishing-smacks. 

When at last Paul Jones reached his own 
shores again he left behind him a terrorized 
enemy who since that cruise have ever called 
him a buccaneer and pirate. Why England 
should regard this valiant sea-fighter, who 
never needlessly shed a drop of blood, or took 
a penny's-worth of spoils out of the larder of 
war, in this insulting light, its countrymen 
have never satisfactorily explained. But we 
do know that Lord Nelson himself was never a 
cleaner fighter; that the very brilliancy and 
extreme daring of Paul Jones's exploits 
stunned his enemy, and left them in a species 
of stupefaction. 

Welcomed home with unusual acclaim, Paul 



JOHN PAUL JONES 93 

Jones found that during his absence two things 
had happened which vitally concerned him. 
One thing was the ravaging of his plantation 
by the British. His fine buildings now lay in 
ashes, he was told. His splendid heifers had 
gone to satisfy the appetites of the raiding sol- 
diers under Lord Dunmore. His slaves, who 
had become to him "a species of grownup chil- 
dren," had been carried off to die under the 
pestilential lash of cruel overseers in Jamai- 
can canefields, while the price of their poor 
bodies swelled the pockets of English slave- 
dealers. To his great pleasure, however, he 
learned that his own overseer, canny old Dun- 
can Macbean, had gotten away and joined 
General Morgan's riflemen, presumably there 
to wreak vengeance on the Red-coats with 
John Paul's own trusty rifle. 

This was indeed a hard blow to the young 
captain who, in commenting upon it, wrote to 
Mr. Hewes: "It appears that I have no for- 
tune left but my sword, and no prospect ex- 
cept that of getting alongside the enemy." 

The second bit of news was the belated noti- 
fication that, while he was away on his cruise. 
Congress, on October 10, 1776, had made 



94 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

him a commissioned captain in the United 
States Navy. It might be expected that 
such an announcement would be very grati- 
fying to him, but not so. Paul Jones re- 
ceived it with more bitterness of spirit than 
pleasure, for he was only number eighteen in 
the list of appointees. This was an injustice 
which he never forgot, and to which the sensi- 
tive fellow referred all through his subsequent 
life. He thought he ought to have been not 
lower than sixth in rank, because, by the law 
of the previous year, there were only five cap- 
tains ahead of him. In the meantime, too, he 
had done good service, while the new captains 
ranking above him were untried. 

If Paul Jones had a failing it was that of 
desire for prestige. Rank was to him a pas- 
sion, not merely because it would enable him 
to be more effective, but for its own sake. He 
liked all the signs of display — ^titles, epaulets, 
medals, busts, marks of honor of all kinds. 
"How near to the heart of every military or 
naval officer is rank, which opens the door to 
glory!" he wrote. But, mind you, Paul Jones 
did not have the "swelled head." He never 
once over-estimated his abilities, inwardly or 



JOHN PAUL JONES 95 

outwardly; and he desired fame because he 
knew he was entitled to it. If the reward failed 
to come after he had qualified for and per- 
formed the service, he felt cheated — ^just as the 
day-laborer feels cheated when he does his task 
and is not paid his wage. 

On November 4, 1776, Paul Jones was 
placed in command of the Alfred^ the ship on 
which he had made his first cruise as a first- 
lieutenant some nine months earher. In com- 
pany with the Providence, now under the com- 
mand of Captain Hacker, he made a cruise of 
about a month, captured seven merchant ships, 
several of which carried valuable supplies to 
the British army, and again cleverly avoided 
the superior enemy frigates. While making 
for port they encountered armed transports, 
the Mellish and the Bidefordj both of which 
had been separated from their convoy, the 
Milfordj, in a terrific gale. Although larger 
and heavier ships in every way, the Americans 
attacked and captured them. Shortly after- 
ward the Milfordj accompanied by a British 
letter-of-marque, put in an appearance, and 
gave chase. Once more Paul Jones was too 
clever for the British frigate. He outsailed 



96 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

and outmaneuvered her, getting away with all 
his prizes except the smaller of the transports, 
which had fallen astern. 

After his return, in early December, from 
the cruise in the Alfred^ Paul Jones served on 
the Board of Advice to the Marine Commit- 
tee, and was very useful in many ways. He 
urged strongly the necessity of making a cruise 
in European waters for the sake of moral per- 
suasion, and offered to lead such an expedition. 
His energy and dashing character made a 
strong impression on Lafayette, who was then 
in the country, and who heartily supported 
the project. He ^vrote a letter to General 
Washington, strongly recommending that 
Paul Jones be made head of such an expedi- 
tion. 

About the same time the young captain had 
an interview with Washington, in which he 
appealed against what he considered another 
injustice. The Trumbull — one of the fine new 
American frigates just completed and built in 
New Amsterdam in accordance with Paul 
Jones's own plans — had been placed under the 
command of Captain Saltonstall, whom the 
Scotchman considered incompetent. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 97 

Paul Jones did not get the Trumbull after 
all; but the interview was not without its 
effect. A little later the Marine Committee 
ordered him to enhst seamen for his suggested 
European cruise. And on June 14, 1777, 
Congress appointed him to the command of the 
sloop-of-war Ranger j of eighteen guns. 



IX 



ABOARD THE "rANGER" 



When Paul Jones was ordered to Ports- 
mouth to command the new sloop -of -war 
Hanger, Congress allowed him to take with 
him a few of his favorite petty officers. Of 
course among this number was Wannashego, 
the young Narragansett. The bold Scotch 
captain had formed a strong liking for Wan- 
nashego, whom he had found not only an able 
boatswain's mate and an impetuous fighter, 
but one most devoted to his own interests. 
Indeed, the young Indian fairly worshiped 
the decking his splendid officer trod. They 
had served together ever since their first meet- 
ing, going from the Alfred to the Providence, 
then back to the Alfred again. And now they 
were once more to be together — this time in a 
long and probably stirring voyage across the 
big sea, right into the very home-waters of the 
enemy himself! No wonder the heart of Wan- 
nashego stirred with happy expectation. 



98 



JOHN PAUL JONES 99 

Another old shipmate to accompany Paul 
Jones on the new expedition, but one hitherto 
unmentioned, was Nathaniel Fanning, now a 
third-lieutenant. From this friend, a very 
keen observer of our hero at all times, as well 
as a man of more than ordinary intelligence, 
we get the following interesting description of 
Paul Jones : 

"He was about middle height, so slender as 
to be wiry, so lithe as to be compared to a pan- 
ther, so quick in his movements that we sailors 
often spoke of him as 'swifter than chain- 
lightning.' His face was as brown as an In- 
dian's. His eyes under ordinary conditions 
were a steel-gray; but in moments of excite- 
ment you would swear they were as black as 
coal and emitting sparks. Though he was not 
at all big, his neck, arms, and shoulders were 
those of a heavy-set man, with a chest that did 
you good to see. The strength of his arms and 
shoulders could hardly be believed; and he 
had equal use of both hands, even to writing 
with the left as well as with the right. He was 
a past-master in the art of boxing; though 
there were many hard nuts to crack in the va- 
rious crews he commanded, I never knew him 



100 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

to come out second best. When aroused, he 
could strike blows and do more damage in a 
second than any man I ever saw could do in a 
minute. He always fought as if that was what 
he was made for; it was only when he was 
perfectly at peace that he seemed uneasy and 
restless. 

"He was never petulant toward those under 
him. Even in cases of failure to carry out his 
orders, or meet his expectations, he would be 
lenient. But if he detected you in any act that 
was wilful or malicious, he would assail you 
like a tiger. He was not a quarrelsome man; 
but he was the easiest person in the world for 
a quarrelsome man to pick a quarrel with. 
Good men all liked him; sneaks and tyrants 
hated him bitterly." 

We may add that all records go to show that 
Paul Jones was as much a father to his crew 
as he was a commander. He interested the 
sailors in the smallest details of their work, 
gave them lessons in rope-splicing, or reproved 
a young chap for his "lubberly walk" with a 
personal demonstration of the correct swagger 
to be kept in mind by Jack afloat. At the 
same time, with all this kindness of heart, he 



JOHN PAUL JONES 101 

did not let a single man take advantage of his 
goodness. "I tell you, my men," he said on 
one occasion, "when I become convinced that a 
sailor of mine must be given the *cat' I will 
not leave it to be done by the uncertain arm 
of others ; but I will do it myself — and so con- 
founded quick that it will make your heads 
swim!" 

On the very same day — June 14, 1777 — 
that Paul Jones was appointed conmiander of 
the Ranger^ Congress selected the permanent 
flag of the United States — the good old Stars- 
and-Stripes which we still have. Up to this 
time nobody had really been satisfied with the 
'^Rattlesnake" emblem; Paul Jones particu- 
larly objected to it. Now Mrs. Betsey Ross, 
of Philadelphia, was busy at work making the 
first new flag from a rough pencil sketch fur- 
nished her by General Washington. 

When Paul Jones heard of the adoption of 
the new emblem, and saw plans for it, he was 
greatly pleased. He took out his own pencil, 
quickly copied the plans, and stuck the paper 
in his pocket. 

As soon as possible he proceeded to Ports- 
mouth, and immediately entered upon the task 



102 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

of outfitting the Ranger for sea. He found 
the ship to be a fine-looking craft, built ex- 
pressly for speed, with a length six feet greater 
than the regular 20-gun vessel of the day. But 
he thought her spars too heavy, and ordered 
his shipwright to ":Bd them about four feet 
lower in the hounds," which was done. He 
also had fourteen long 9-pounders and four 
6-pounders put in place of the regular twenty 
6-pound guns intended, and made other 
changes looking toward her seaworthiness. He 
was very proud of her coppered hull, shining 
like burnished gold — ^the first hull thus covered 
in the new country. 

As the work of outfitting went on, he had 
the goodwill and interest of the entire colonial 
town. Busy though he was he did not neglect 
the social side of life here any more than he 
had elsewhere when on land; for Paul Jones 
loved elegance and display, intercourse with 
the fair sex ; and his splendid bearing, immac- 
ulate dress, magnetic personality, keen wit — 
to say nothing of his record of daring deeds — 
made him extremely popular in all gatherings, 
particularly where hoop-skirts abounded. 
Many a good dame in America did her utmost 



JOHN PAUL JONES 103 

to marry the gallant young captain off to her 
own daughter or another admiring damsel. 
But it was no use; Paul Jones, while always 
professing the greatest respect and kindliest 
interest in his feminine associates, never al- 
lowed them to turn his well-balanced head. 

Thus in his social activities there in Ports- 
mouth, the captain of the Ranger escorted 
bevies of charming and vivacious damsels and 
their mamas and papas aboard the ship and 
explained her many wonders, and discoursed 
on what she probably would do to the English. 
Then one day he whispered mysteriously to 
some of them, and forthwith these pretty Colo- 
nial girls spoke to others. The consequence 
was, that soon afterward there was a merry 
gathering at the home of one of the maids. A 
"quilting bee" they termed it; but there, fash- 
ioned amid chat and laughter, amid sober 
thought and spirit of service to country, slender 
fingers cut and sewed together the silken por- 
tions of a beautiful American flag — the first 
one of stars and stripes that anybody in that 
locality had yet seen. From time to time these 
fair workers looked for guidance to a pen- 
cilled sketch furnished them by their chosen 



104 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

knight. Treasured wedding and court dresses 
of some of their mothers furnished rare patches 
of blue, and lengths of red and white, and these 
grew into beautiful five-pointed stars and 
graceful stripes under the girls' careful handi- 
work. 

During this time Paul Jones was putting 
the finishing touches to the Ranger and impa- 
tiently awaiting the dispatches he was to carry 
from his Government to the American Com- 
mission in France. At midnight of the 31st of 
October these official documents were delivered 
to him by a courier who had covered one hun- 
dred and forty miles, eating and sleeping in 
his saddle. Among the papers was the news 
of the surrender of Burgoyne. 

Nothing now prevented Paul Jones from 
making sail on his long cruise. The Ranger 
was in readiness, the wind good. But before 
making sail there was one ceremony he must 
not forget. 

The new flag — ^his gift from the patriotic 
Portsmouth girls — must be unfurled to the 
breeze. And they must see it! By horse he 
sent Wannashego galloping to the homes of 



JOHN PAUL JONES 105 

each of the five young seamstresses. In an 
hour they appeared, eager and excited, despite 
the fact that most of the good people of the 
town were fast asleep. 

With simple ceremony but eloquent sugges- 
tion the splendid banner, under the impulse of 
Paul Jones's own hands, went up to the 
Ranger's peak. As it spread out to the breeze 
under the star-lit sky, the Scotch captain said, 
with a deep feeling none could help noticing: 
*'That flag and I are twins. Born the same 
hour from the same womb of destiny, w^e can- 
not be parted in life or in death. So long as 
vre can float we shall float together. If we 
must sink, we shall go down as one!" 

To the courier who had brought the dis- 
patches, Paul Jones now turned. He handed 
him the receipt for the papers, and on its back 
he \\Tote: "I shall spread this news in France 
within thirty days." 

When the shore people had taken their de- 
parture, cheered by the crew of the Ranger 
and leaving their own good wishes behind, Cap- 
tain Jones immediately got under way. He 
took a northerly course, thereby hoping to 



106 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

avoid most of the enemy's cruisers, so that his 
dispatches could be delivered as soon as possi- 
ble. 

He left no record except the Ranger's log; 
but Mr. Hall, who was the ship's carpenter, 
gives some details of the trip which are far 
from uninteresting: 

*'I had sailed with many captains in all sorts 
of voyages, but I had never seen a ship crowded 
the way Captain Jones crowded the Ranger. 
He held to his northerly route, though the wind 
was adverse, hanging all the time between 
north-northeast and east-northeast. It veered 
slightly at times, but you could count on it 
being forward of the beam on a true course, 
and often it was near dead ahead. Imagine, 
then, the situation of the ship's crew, with a 
top-hea\y and cranky craft under their feet, 
and a commander who day and night insisted 
on every rag she could stagger under without 
laying clear dowTi! 

"As it was, she came close to beam ends more 
than once, and on one occasion she righted only 
by us letting the fly-sheets go with hatchets. 
During all this trying time Captain Jones was 
his own navigating officer, keeping the deck 



JOHN PAUL JONES 107 

eighteen or twenty hours out of every twenty- 
four, often serving extra grog to the drenched 
men with his own hands, and by his example 
silencing all disposition to grumble. In the 
worst of it the watch was lap-watched. This 
brought the men eight hours on and four off. 
There was no better way to arrange it; but 
for all that a good many of them began to 
growl. These fellows had all been shipped 
from Portsmouth, induced to enlist by unwise 
glowing accounts of the Government of the 
rich prize-money that would probably be made 
on the trip. Now, when they found the cap- 
tain avoiding the enemy rather than seeking 
him out, and were subjected to such a terrific 
bit of sailing, they became dissatisfied. 

"At first Captain Jones was mighty angry, 
but as soon as he satisfied himself that the 
Government had really been in error, he acted 
splendidly by the men. He told them that he 
would personally guarantee them a fair rev- 
enue from prizes later on; more than that, 
from his own pocket he advanced them 147 
guineas, to make up the difference in wages 
thus far allowed them by Congress but which 
the Marine Committee had been unable to 



108 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

make good on account of the poverty of the 
States. They quieted down then, apparently 
satisfied, cheering their commander well. But 
Lieutenant Simpson, who had really instigated 
the mutiny, did not escape so easily. Wanna- 
shego, an Indian boatswain's mate, had caught 
Simpson stirring the men up to trouble, re- 
ported it to Captain Jones, and the latter had 
the officer put in irons for the rest of the 
voyage." 

As Mr. Hall says in this account, the 
weather was bad and the voyage tempestuous. 
But nevertheless there were times when the 
tired men sought recreation in story and song, 
as seamen always will do, and often over the 
dashing waters the following refrain, com- 
posed by Midshipman Charley Bell, went 
echoing : 

"So now we had him hard and fast, 
Burgoyne laid down his arms at last. 
And that is why we brave the blast 

To carry the news to London! 
Heigh-ho ! car-r-y the news ; 

Go carry the news to London! 
Yes car-r-y, car-r-y, 

Carry the news to London!" 

During the last two days' run the Ranger 



JOHN PAUL JONES 109 

took two merchantmen loaded with wines and 
dried fruit and bound for London. Paul Jones 
put prize-crews aboard, sending one on to 
Erest and keeping the other with him. West 
of Ushant they spoke a Dutch East India- 
man, whereupon the Scotch captain informed 
the Dutch commander of the surrender of Bur- 
goyne and dryly asked him to "kindly repeat 
the news, with my compliments, to any British 
captain met." 

A little later, on the 2d of December, the 
saucy Ranger and her prize dropped anchor 
in the Loire, below Nantes, France. 



X 



IN THE ENEMY S OWN WATERS 

One of the first things which Paul Jones did 
on landing on French soil was to seek out Dr. 
Benjamin Franklin, who, with Silas Deane 
and Arthur Lee, were his country's foreign 
commissioners. He found these diplomats 
domiciled in the fine home of Monsieur De 
Chaumont, a wealthy Frenchman with strong 
sympathies for the Colonists. 

It was the first meeting of Paul Jones and 
Benjamin Franklin — a meeting marked with 
much gratification on the part of each. It 
was also the beginning of a personal friendship 
long-lasting and very helpful to the Scotch 
adventurer. Before its conclusion the caller 
learned, with some chagrin, that he was not 
the first to bring news across the sea of the 
surrender of General Burgoyne; that Mr. 
John Austen, of Boston, had sailed in a French 
merchantman a day or two earher, and by rea- 

110 



JOHN PAUL JONES 111 

son of the shorter course, had arrived some- 
what ahead of him. However, Austen's news 
was mere hearsay, lacking the details and 
authenticity of Captain Jones's dispatches. 

It had been the intention of the American 
commissioners to give Paul Jones the Indien — 
a fine frigate building secretly at Amster- 
dam — on his arrival. But this proved to be 
one more of his disappointments, for the Brit- 
ish minister to the Netherlands had recently 
discovered the destination of the vessel, and 
had made such protests of a breach of neutral- 
ity that the commissioners had been forced to 
sell the ship to France. 

To his previous acquaintance with the Due 
and Duchesse De Chartres there is no doubt 
that Paul Jones owed his introduction at this 
time into French society. The Duchesse her- 
self had been, before her marriage, the richest 
heiress in France. While her husband was a 
spendthrift, and a man of lax morals gener- 
ally, she was highly respected in all conmiuni- 
ties. This noble family lived in a charming 
chateau, with even more charming gardens, on 
the outskirts of Paris, and as soon as they 
heard of the arrival of the already famous 



112 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Scotch captain they sent him an urgent invi- 
tation to call. 

This he did. An enjoyable meeting re- 
sulted, and he was royally entertained. Later, 
at a ball given in his honor and attended by 
the elite of the social world, he met a beautiful 
young lady named Aimee de Telusson, the 
adopted daughter of King Louis XV. Made- 
moiselle De Telusson, after the king died, had 
been supported by a pension from the mon- 
arch's court, and had lived with her protec- 
toress, Madame De Marsan, under the patron- 
age of several great ladies, of whom the 
Duchesse De Chartres was one. 

Paul Jones was greatly fascinated with the 
fair Aimee, a feeling which she seemed to re- 
ciprocate. As they became better and better 
acquainted she fairly idolized him, and on his 
part he thought her the most perfect specimen 
of womanhood he had ever seen. Although he 
must have known that she was very much in 
love with him, this gallant seaman who was 
admired by all the people of France, never 
declared his own love to her. 

Dr. Franklin wished to keep Paul Jones in 
European waters, there to harass the British 



JOHN PAUL JONES 113 

shipping. On the other hand Lee, who for 
some reason entertained a jealousy and disHke 
for the Scotchman, was bent on getting him 
back in American waters as soon as he could. 
Silas Deane, the third commissioner, was a 
nonentity, with little voice in the matter. 
However, Dr. Franklin had his way ; he thun- 
dered forth his orders that Paul Jones was to 
stay on that side of the sea — and Paul Jones 
stayed. To say that he w^as grateful to the 
stout-hearted, venerable statesman is saying no 
more than the truth. 

After some delay Dr. Franklin advised him 
that arrangements had been completed by the 
commission for him to convoy a number of 
American merchant vessels from Nantes into 
Quiberon Bay, where a large French fleet, 
under Admiral La Motte Picquet, lay waiting 
with the intention of sailing for America. Such 
protection by French warships a week earlier 
would have been a distinct breach of neutrality, 
but now the much-talked-of "Treaty of Alli- 
ance" had been made between France and 
America, and henceforth France could not only 
openly sympathize with the new Republic but 
could take up arms in her behalf. 



114 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Of course Paul Jones was glad at this turn 
of events. He was pleased for his country's 
sake; pleased for his own sake, because the 
situation promised easier working out of his 
plans. 

But it seemed that his troubles were not yet 
entirely over. When he reached the anchorage 
of the Ranger he found the crew in a sad dis- 
ruption. It appeared that the profligate Simp- 
son, who had been freed from his irons upon 
the ship reaching port, had been working the 
men into a mutiny by declaring he had heard 
that their captain had left them in the lurch. 
Except for the confidence expressed in Paul 
Jones by the majority of his officers and some 
of the sailors, among whom of course was 
Wannashego, it is doubtful if the commander 
would have found very many of his crew left 
upon his arrival. As it stood, the malcontents 
were still arguing with the loyal when he put 
in an appearance. 

Upon learning the cause of the trouble his 
Scotch ire was so thoroughly aroused against 
Simpson that it is hard to guess what he would 
have done to him, had the miscreant not made 
a plausible excuse for securing what he termed 



JOHN PAUL JONES 115 

his "misinformation" and uttered voluble 
apologies for his part in the affair. 

As soon as order could be obtained, the 
commander began to refit for the new enter- 
prise. The craft's masts were re-shortened and 
other defects of structure remedied in an effort 
to put her on a better keel. Then in company 
with a tender, the brig Independence, the 
American sloop-of-war set sail. A Httle later, 
flying the Stars-and- Stripes at her masthead, 
she anchored off the bay at Quiberon. 

Without delay Paul Jones sent a small boat 
off to the French admiral, desiring to know, if 
he saluted the admiral's ship, whether her com- 
mander would return the salute. 

When the reply came back it was in the 
affirmative. Thereupon Paul Jones brought 
the Ranger into the bay. She hove to, and the 
next moment her guns thundered thirteen 
times. Promptly the courtesy was returned by 
nine guns from the admiral's ship, it being the 
French custom to fire four guns less than a 
saluting Republic. It was too dark to bring 
in the Independence for her share in the pro- 
ceeding, but the next morning this Httle vessel 
sailed proudly between two parallel lines of the 



116 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

fine French fleet, flying her American flag, and 
in answer to her own guns there was returned 
another recognition of America as a nation. 

Returning to Nantes, Paul Jones sent Dr. 
Frankhn a joyous letter, telling him about the 
honor paid the American flag for the first time 
by another country. 

The Ranger was held in port following this 
until April 10, 1778. In the interval her com- 
mander had the good fortune to be much in 
the company of the Due and Duchesse De 
Chartres and the charming Mademoiselle 
Aimee De Telusson. The day previous to the 
date of sailing of his vessel, the Duchesse paid 
him the compliment of giving a dinner in his 
honor. At this many distinguished families 
were present, as well as prominent army and 
navy officers. During the course of festivities, 
the Madame graciously presented her popular 
guest with a richly- jewelled watch which she 
said had belonged to her grandfather, Louis 
XIV. 

Paul Jones bowed, and replied with fine gal- 
lantry: "May it please your Royal Highness, 
if fortune should favor me at sea I will some 



JOHN PAUL JONES 117 

day lay an English frigate at your dainty 
feet!" 

The next morning the Ranger put out to 
sea again. With the salt spray dashing in his 
nostrils, with every fiber of his adventure- 
loving soul thrilling once more in expectation 
of a brush with the enemy, Paul Jones forgot 
the tameness of politics and the foibles of social 
functions. 

With gusto he took a brigantine in the Irish 
Sea on the 14th, and sank her. Then proceed- 
ing into St. George's Channel he ran onto the 
Lord Chatham, a British merchant ship bound 
from London to Dublin. This vessel was val- 
uable enough to keep as a prize, so the Scotch 
captain manned her with a prize crew and had 
them take her to Brest. 

Paul Jones now headed farther northward 
along the coast of England. In his mind he 
was formulating an exceedingly daring plan, 
none less than a sudden descent upon White- 
haven, the seaport he knew so well as a boy 
and from which he had made his first voyage 
to America. If he could dash into White- 
haven, destroy most of the immense shipping 



118 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

which was always harbored there, and thereby 
effect an exchange of prisoners in Europe, he 
thought the risk would well be worth while. 

But when he arrived in the vicinity of his 
old headquarters, the winds were so contrary 
to his purpose that he gave up the project for 
the time being. For the next few days he 
cruised along the southern coast of Scotland 
on the lookout for other enemy prizes. Noth- 
ing of great moment occurred, and with better 
weather conditions than had previously pre- 
vailed, he made up his mind again to try an 
attack on Whitehaven. 

The hills were covered with snow when the 
Ranger came within sight of them. In the 
harbor of the town of some fifty thousand in- 
habitants were collected almost three hundred 
merchant-ships and fishing-smacks. The cap- 
tain had carefully let down the portlids to con- 
ceal his guns, and adopted whatever other 
means he could devise for concealing the nature 
of his ship. 

Paul Jones determined to wait for night to 
perform his operations. He would need the 
screen of darkness. When that hour had come 
he ordered every man mustered on deck. Then 



JOHN PAUL JONES 119 

he announced his plan to them and finished 
by saying tersely: "I call for thirty volunteers 
to assist me in this task of reprisal for the 
numerous burnings the British have put upon 
us in America. No man need engage in this 
enterprise unless he wishes to. But those who 
share with me its dangers shall also share with 
me its glories." 

It seemed as if every man on deck shouted, 
*'Aye, sir!" As might be expected Wanna- 
shego, the young Narragansett, was among the 
first. 

Paul Jones smiled with satisfaction. "With 
so many volunteers I see I shall have to choose 
my thirty men from among you. The strong- 
est and most active are the ones I want." 

He then proceeded to make his selections. 
When he was done he noticed that he had for- 
gotten the faithful Indian youth. "I shall 
make it thirty-one, on second thought," he said 
promptly, and at once called upon the happy 
Wannashego to step forth with the other vol- 
unteers. 

It was a httle after midnight when, with his 
men in two boats, Paul Jones left the Ranger, 
It was so far in to the piers that it was almost 



120 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

dawn when they finally arrived at one of the 
outer ones. All haste must be made or the 
light of the approaching day would disclose 
their movements and prevent their success. 

Paul Jones ordered one boat, under the di- 
rection of Mr. Hill and Lieutenant Walling- 
f ord, to proceed on the north side of the harbor 
and set fire to the shipping there, while with 
the second party the commander went to the 
other side, to perform a similar work. 

Two grim-looking forts rose up in the dark- 
ness, one facing each section of harbor. In 
order to render the guns in these harmless, 
Paul Jones and Wannashego were now set 
ashore, and while they began stealthily and 
swiftly to approach the first forts, their crew 
started off to set fire to the shipping on the 
south. 

The Scotch captain and young Indian had 
a very delicate task facing them. Before they 
could spike the cannon the sentinels must be 
secured. Stealing along in the shadows of the 
great walls of the first fort, they discovered 
ithat all of the guardsmen were unsuspiciously 
enjoying a game of cards in the guard-house 
itself. As quick as lightning Paul Jones and 



JOHN PAUL JONES 121 

Wannashego sprang forward and barred the 
door, making the men prisoners. Then, with- 
out loss of time, the two Americans began scal- 
ing the walls of the fort. When the cannon 
here had been successfully spiked, they hurried 
to the second fort, a quarter of a mile distant, 
and in the same manner confined the sentinels 
there and spiked the guns. 

This was surely a daring exploit for two to 
perform, when the alarm might be sounded 
any moment and the whole town swoop down 
upon them. 

After the task had been performed, Paul 
Jones naturally expected to see the fires which 
his parties were to start. To his great dis- 
appointment no welcome flare showed itself in 
either direction. In the dim light of early 
dawn — ^that alarming dawn, so little de- 
sired — ^the captain hurried forward, only to 
discover that the party under Mr. Hill and 
Mr. Wallingford were in considerable con- 
fusion. The fires they had ignited had refused 
to burn, and their candles had gone out as well. 
It was the same situation with the other party; 
their candles also had gone out, and there 
seemed no way to relight them. 



122 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Although the day was coming on apace and 
danger of discovery grew with it, the daunt- 
less Scotch commander would not give up his 
project until every expedient had been ex- 
hausted. Placing sentinels to guard against a 
surprise, he sent Wannashego and a few men 
to the nearest house. The inmates were forced 
to deliver lights for the candles. With the aid 
of these a fire was soon started in the steerage 
of a large ship, which was in the midst of a 
hundred or more others. To make sure that 
this blaze would not burn out, a barrel of tar 
was placed upon it. In a short time flames 
were springing up out of all hatchways in the 
vessel. 

Now the inhabitants of the town began to 
appear in hundreds. Individuals ran angrily 
toward the burning ship, bent on extinguish- 
ing the flames before they should communicate 
to the adjoining vessels. 

"They must not be permitted to put out this 
fire now or our plans are ruined completely!" 
cried Paul Jones. With the words he sprang 
between the ship and the foremost of those run- 
ning up, drew two pistols from his belt, and 
leveled them at the angry faces. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 123 

"One step nearer and some of you will be 
dead men!" cried the Scotch captain. "Back 
with you as fast as you came, else by the eter- 
nal day and night you shall feel this lead!" 

"Why, it's Paul Jones!" called somebody 
in the throng, who recognized him. 

Instantly the crowd fell back in fright. 
Not a man among them but who had heard of 
the things this daredevil had already done to 
the ships of their countrymen. 

Paul Jones smiled grimly, as the people con- 
tinued to retreat before his menacing pistols. 
Nor did he once leave his post until the ship 
back of him was a mass of flames and the whole 
shipping in the neighborhood hopelessly afire 
from it. Then he stepped coolly down into 
one of his boats, which had been brought up,, 
and in company with the other, without the 
loss of a single man, he went back to the 
Ranger. 

If the attempt had been made an hour earlier 
it is impossible to estimate the damage the 
Americans might have done, but dawn saved 
the town of Whitehaven, also half of the ship- 
ping. Paul Jones was disappointed because 
his plans had in a measure miscarried. But 



124 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

he had accomplished much for his country just 
the same. The excitement along the coast was 
intense. Every English port, nervous and 
trembling, was on the watch for the bold in- 
vader. No Enghshman felt safe so long as 
Paul Jones roamed the sea at will. Much less 
did British captains feel secure. 



XI 

OUTWITTING THE "dRAKE" 

As the Banger once more spread her sails 
and stood out to sea, Paul Jones turned to his 
first-lieutenant and said: 

"Mr. Wallingford, have her head pointed 
across the Firth. There lays my old home- 
town of Arbigland which I have seen but once 
since I was twelve years old " 

"Pardon me, sir," interrupted the first ofii- 
cer; "surely you do not think of attacking 
your own birthplace?" 

"Indeed not," was the sharp and somewhat 
impatient rejoinder. "Though it belongs to 
the enemv, that would be the act of a man 
without heart and conscience. Please hear me 
out. Xot far from my home there lives in the 
same county of Kirkcudbright a most impor- 
tant personage to British interests. This is the 
Earl of Selkirk. In lieu of the only partial 
success of our descent upon Whitehaven I 

125 



126 FAMOUS AMERICAlSrS 

propose to even up matters this very day by 
calling upon the good earl and taking him 
hostage." 

This was a daring conception, and Lieuten- 
ant Wallingford gasped. The Ranger was 
held to her new course, straight north across 
the Firth of Solway. When the ship came in 
view of the northern coast, her commander 
stood watching the high cliffs about Arbigland 
with a strange mixture of feelings. We shall 
never know exactly what thoughts stirred him, 
as he was a man not given to referring to his 
deeper sensations, but we may well infer that, 
in the short space of time he stood there study- 
ing the familiar landmarks of his care-free and 
happy boyhood, he lived over again the days 
of that period, climbed again the crags after 
seabirds' eggs, sailed again his toy boats in the 
quiet coves. 

St. Mary's Isle, a beautifully wooded prom- 
ontory in the river Dee, was where the Earl of 
Selkirk lived in luxurious but quiet style. This 
was about a mile up the coast from Arbigland, 
and although Paul Jones had never met the 
Scotch nobleman or any of his family, he knew 
the location of the Selkirk broad acres as well 



JOHN PAUL JONES 127 

as he knew the best fishing grounds in the 
Firth. 

He landed on St. Mary's Isle with one boat 
and twelve men. Pointing out the path to 
take, and warning his men to commit no vio- 
lence other than that which might be re- 
quired in securing the earl himself, the cap- 
tain awaited their return. In a short time 
they were back again, bringing a considerable 
quantity of silver plate, but without the earl, 
who they declared was not at home. 

Paul Jones was very angry because his 
sailors had taken the silver plate. He used 
every argimaent except force in trying to get 
them to return it at once. When he saw that 
they were bent upon keeping the spoil, he said 
no more, but departed with them, for he knew 
well that the rules of war made confiscation 
perfectly legal. 

Later on he wrote the Countess of Selkirk 
a long letter of apology and explanation, stat- 
ing that he would exert every endeavor to re- 
turn the plate to her. This he did, and suc- 
ceeded, although in so doing it was necessary 
for him to go down into his own pocket for 
£150 in order to buy it back. 



128 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Paul Jones next turned his attention to an 
effort to capture the British man-of-war 
DrakCj, a vessel of twenty guns — ^two guns 
stronger than his own ship. This, too, was a 
bold undertaking, particularly in view of the 
fact that the Drake was known to carry a 
larger crew and was in her own waters. But 
the intrepid sea-king was not to be deterred. 
He had encountered this same vessel once be- 
fore, several days before the attack on White- 
haven, when he was standing off Carrickf ergus, 
and when she was anchored in the bay. Dur- 
ing the night he had run in and tried to work 
into a position where he could board her 
quickly, surprise her crew, and overwhelm 
them before they could offer serious enough 
resistance to get aid from the big gray fortifi- 
cation which frowned down over the harbor 
from the massive heights above. But, owing 
to the strong wind which had prevailed at the 
time, the plan was frustrated ; and the Ranger 
had quietly withdrawn to sea again without her 
foe knowing what a narrow escape she had 
met with. 

Then Paul Jones had assuaged the disap- 
pointment of himself and his men with the re- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 129 

mark: "Never mind, my brave fellows; that 
British sloop shall be ours yet, mark my words. 
When we are through with Whitehaven we 
shall look her up again." 

And now the doughty captain meant to ful- 
fil his promise ! 

On the morning of the 24th of April the 
Ranger was once more off Carrickfergus. 
The bay, the castled crag, the picturesque 
town, and the handsome British sloop-of-war, 
all stood out brilHantly in the clear sunUght. 

But this time the American vessel was not 
destined to get in close to her enemy without 
suspicion. The very night before, word had 
been brought of the attack on Whitehaven, and 
as a consequence the entire populace of Car- 
rickfergus was ready to look askance at the 
coming of every strange ship. As the Ranger 
appeared in the offing, therefore, she was im- 
mediately observed by the British aboard the 
Drake, and the American sailors could hear 
the creaking of the foe-ship's capstan and the 
hoarse rattle of the chains as her anchor was 
tripped in readiness for an emergency. 

The Ranger now went completely about, her 
stern toward the shore. This was the best way 



130 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

possible to hide her identity, for it was seen 
that a boat was putting off from the EngHsh 
sloop and pulling toward them, apparently 
bent upon investigation. When the boat had 
approached within hailing distance of the 
American, one of its imnates — a British offi- 
cer — stood up and cried: "What ship is that?" 

Paul Jones, standing at his sailing-master's 
elbow, quietly prompted him in his answers. 

"The Saltandpepperforhritishf' replied Mr. 
Stacy so rapidly that all the words were a 
meaningless jumble to the Englishmen, who, 
however, caught the word "British" with some 
feeling of ease. Drawing a little closer, the 
officer repeated his question: "What ship is 
that? We cannot make out your answer." 

"We've had fair winds, but glad to get in 
here," answered Mr. Stacy, pretending to have 
misunderstood the question. 

There was an impatient remark from the 
British officer at this. He said something to 
his men. The boat of the enemy then drew 
up considerably nearer. By this time the craft 
was directly under the Ranger's quarter. 

"I ask you for the third and last time, what 
ship is that?" hailed the British officer. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 131 

"And I answer again and for the last time, 
she is the Lord Dunmore, bound from Ply- 
mouth to London," called Mr. Stacy in an 
apparently exasperated voice. Then, again 
prompted by his captain, he went on : "Have 
you heard anything of that American cruiser 
which has been prowling about capturing mer- 
chant ships and frightening our coast people 
half out of their wits?" 

"Yes," was the reply of the officer, now com- 
pletely off his guard. "We would give a thou- 
sand pounds to meet her." 

"If you will come aboard, our captain says 
he will give you further particulars about this 
impudent American," continued Mr. Stacy. 
"We think this news will aid you in finding 
him." 

Unsuspiciously the British boat now came 
up, and a ladder was lowered over the port 
side. Just then one of the Ranger's own boats 
was dropped from the davits; it was quickly 
filled with men, and as the British officer clam- 
bered on deck and faced Paul Jones the Amer- 
ican sailors made prisoners of his crew. 

"What is the meaning of this?" cried the 
British officer. "Who are you, sir?" 



132 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

"Captain Paul Jones," came the quick an- 
swer. "This is the American sloop-of-war 
Ranger, about which we promised you infor- 
mation. If you require further details, it is 
only proper for me to state that you are a 
prisoner of war on that ship at this moment !'* 

The officer uttered an exclamation of anger. 
Eut his chagrin was not greater than that of 
the other men aboard the boat when they were 
brought aboard and all sent below. 

This whole proceeding had been witnessed 
from the Drake in a more or less hazy manner, 
but yet in a way to give the British aboard 
that vessel a fair idea of the catastrophe which 
had attended the efforts of their compatriots 
to learn the identity of the stranger. She im- 
mediately sent out alarm signals, and in a few 
minutes smoking bonfires along the entire 
headlands were relaying the startling intelli- 
gence to inland points. 

In a little while the Drake, accompanied 
by five small vessels filled with townspeople 
curious to witness what they thought would be 
a battle, began to work out. She came very 
slowly, owing to an unfavorable tide. It was 
plain to be seen that her "dander was up;'* 



JOHN PAUL JONES 133 

that she meant to look into the plight of her 
boat's crew without further delay. 

The Ranger now threw off every effort at 
disguise. Her portlids were run up, her guns 
run out, and everything put in trim for a hard 
fight. As the enemy came nearer and weath- 
ered the point, the Ranger cunningly and al- 
most imperceptibly worked herself farther out 
into the channel where she would have more 
sea room for the engagement and be farther 
away from the guns of the fort. Thus led on, 
the Drake followed, slowly narrowing up the 
space between. 

Now the British ship ran up her colors. At 
the same instant up went the Stars-and- Stripes 
aboard the American. Having come within 
hailing distance, the British commander, Cap- 
tain Burden, called out: "Who are you?" 

"The Continental ship Ranger,^ cried back 
Mr. Stacy, at word from Paul Jones. "Come 
on, we are waiting for you!" 

Scarcely were the words spoken when the 
Ranger's helm was ported, and bringing her 
broadside to bear on the advancing ship, she 
roared out the first volley. The enemy at once 
returned the compliment. While her fire was 



134* FAMOUS AMERICANS 

spirited, somehow it lacked effectiveness, which 
is probably attributable to the distress and con- 
fusion caused on board of her by the stunning 
effect of the American's shooting. In a letter 
to Joseph Hewes, Paul Jones thus refers to 
the manner in which his men handled them- 
selves : "We have seen that our men fight with 
courage on our own coasts. But no one has 
ever seen them fight on our coast as they fought 
here, almost in hail of the enemy's shore. 
Every shot told, and they gave the Drake 
three broadsides for two right along. ..." 

On board the Ranger, Paul Jones walked 
the quarter-deck unharmed, amid a constant 
shower of musketry and the shriek of cannon- 
ball. Captain Burden, of the Drake, showed 
an equal disregard for danger, but within 
thirty minutes after the beginning of the fight 
he was mortally wounded by a musket shot in 
the head. Paul Jones was unaware of this fact 
until, during the hottest of the firing, his friend 
Wannashego glided quickly up to where he 
stood and announced the news. 

"I am sorry for him, for he has shown him- 
self to be a brave man; but it is the way of 



JOHN PAUL JONES 135 

war," said the commander. "Did you see him 
shot, Wannashego?" 

In his dusky hands the Indian youth held a 
musket whose barrel was hot to the touch and 
from which a tiny thread of smoke still curled. 
"I sure see British captain fall," he said with 
flashing eyes, as he patted his gun. "I take 
good aim at him. It is the first chance for me. 
Bang! They pick him up and carry him 
away." 

With the words Wannashego hurried off, re- 
loading his weapon as he ran. Paul Jones 
was thunderstruck. After a moment he mut- 
tered, "Poor Burden, your very importance in 
this conflict has caught the eagle eye of that 
young redskin and spelled your doom!" 

The fighting continued fiercely. Twice was 
the ensign of the Drake shot away, and twice 
the gallant British tars rehoisted it. The 
enemy's fore and main topsail yards were com- 
pletely riddled, the main topgallant mast and 
mizzen gaff hung up and down the spar, her 
jib dragged over her lee into the water, and 
her mainsails were a sieve of holes. 

Never had Paul Jones seen men fight more 



136 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

tigerishly or with better aim than his were now 
doing. As the two ships were going off the 
wind, which was light, they both rolled con- 
siderably and together; in other words, when 
the Ranger went down to port the Drake 
came up to starboard. Quite early in the ac- 
tion, the Scotch captain had noticed that his 
quarter-gunners had caught the Drake's pe- 
riod of roll and were timing to fire as their 
muzzles went down and the enemy's came up. 
By this practice they were hulling the British 
ship prodigiously below her water-line and 
everjnvhere below her rail. 

"What are you firing in that fashion for?" 
demanded Paul Jones of Midshipman Star- 
buck. 

"To sink the British galoots, sir!" 

"That is not my object," said the captain 
sharply. "Cease this destruction of the ship, 
and conduct yourselves so as to capture her 
instead." 

The alert fellows instantly changed their 
tactics, and soon had the Drake an unmanage- 
able log on the water, with her crew crying for 
quarter. When, after the desperate fighting 
of a little more than an hour, an accounting 



JOHN PAUL JONES 137 

was taken it was found that the Ranger had 
suffered very little from the inaccurate fire of 
the British. True, she had lost two lives, 
among these Lieutenant Wallingf ord, and had 
six wounded; but her opponent had lost her 
commander and nineteen others killed, with 
twenty-eight officers and men wounded. The 
only officer remaining to strike her flag had 
been her second-lieutenant. 

With a towline fastened to her prize, the 
Ranger now passed out of the lough and up 
St. George's Channel. About midnight she 
hove to, and there under the starlight the dead 
heroes of the conflict were sewn up in canvas 
and consigned to the deep with a fitting burial 
service. 

With a valuable prize and more than one 
hundred and forty prisoners of war to look 
after, Paul Jones was now forced to give up 
his intention of cruising around Scotland. 
After taking a vessel off Malin Head he be- 
came further handicapped, and determined to 
make for Brest without additional delay. 

And now came that long-dreamed-of and 
hoped-for hour when he was to enter a French 
port bringing a ship superior to his own — one 



138 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

belonging to the finest navy afloat, a feat 
which had never before happened in the history 
of naval warfare. As he sailed through the 
outer roads of Brest he was met by an escort 
of French warships, whose crews cheered lust- 
ily when they learned the identity of his prize. 
It was past midnight when the Ranger let 
go anchor. Everything then seemed quiet, but 
like wildfire the news of the daring captain's 
return spread over the town. When daylight 
broke the quays were swarming with people, 
and the harbor was dotted with boats bearing 
passengers, all of whom were eager to catch 
a ghmpse of the vanquished Drake and her 
conqueror. 



XII 

THE QUEER CONDUCT OF CAPTAIN LANDAIS 

The next morning Captain Paul Jones 
woke up to find himself famous — almost over- 
whelmed with the praise and attentions of the 
naval officers of Brest as well as of all France. 
The Due De Chartres was the first to come 
aboard, brimming with congratulations, and 
for the two days the Ranger lay in the harbor 
her decks thronged with officers of the French 
fleet and citizens who were eager to rejoice with 
the conqueror. 

Then the other side of the picture began to 
show; the stern realities of France's disturbed 
political condition had to be faced. The Ran- 
ger, with her splendid prize, had gone to the 
deckyard for repairs, and the problem of feed- 
ing and clothing the three hundred men consti- 
tuting his own crew and that of the Drake 
had to be met by Paul Jones. The Congress 
still owed him £1500 which he had advanced 
out of his own pocket for paying the crews 

139 



140 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

of his former ships, the Providence and the 
Alfred, and this outlay had depleted his funds 
to such an extent that he had very little money 
left, so little that he now saw he would have to 
draw upon the commissioners a draft for 24,000 
livres, which Congress had given him. To his 
annoyance the three commissioners promptly 
dishonored his draft. As a result, the merchant 
with whom he had contracted to refit the Ran- 
ger and the Drake, as well as to supply his crew 
and prisoners with provisions, declined to ex- 
tend further credit. 

This state of affairs put our hero in a very 
embarrassing position, and nettled him in- 
tensely. Had it not been for the fine friend- 
ship of such Frenchmen as the Due De Char- 
tres, Comte D'Orvillers, and M. Chaumont, 
through whose benevolence he was for a time 
able to feed and clothe his people, heal his 
wounded, and continue the refitting of his ves- 
sels, it is hard to tell what he would have done. 

In the crude, undisciplined condition of the 
United States Navy in that day the crews could 
not seem to comprehend the idea that it was 
necessary to obey every order of the com- 
mander of a ship without raising a question. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 141 

Almost at the instant of the engagement be- 
tween the Ranger and the Drake, Lieutenant 
Simpson, the trouble-maker of the past, had 
used his influence in stirring up some of the 
crew to a state bordering on insubordination, 
telling them that being Americans fighting for 
liberty they had a right to fight the enemy in 
any way they chose, regardless of a command- 
er's program. Paul Jones had stopped this 
threatened uprising by confining Simpson 
below. On reaching port he had transferred 
him to the Admiral, a ship where the French 
put men of his type. 

After Simpson had been imprisoned, an 
American agent named Hezekiah Ford, who 
disliked the Scotch captain, got up a petition 
condemning Paul Jones and praising the con- 
duct of Simpson in the sea fight. By smooth 
arguments to the effect that they would never 
get their prize money unless Lieutenant Simp- 
son were made captain in place of Paul Jones, 
Ford induced seventy-eight of the Ranger's 
crew to sign this petition. The result was, 
that the rascally lieutenant was freed at his 
court-martial, and sailed away a little later for 
America, as master of the refitted Ranger. 



142 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

When Paul Jones heard of the doings of 
Hezekiah Ford, he was terribly incensed. 
Tucking three pistols in his belt, he betook him- 
self to the inn where Ford stopped. Without 
pausing long enough to draw even one of his 
pistols, he knocked Ford down with a light- 
ning-like blow of his fist, seized the coachman's 
whip and thrashed the scoundrel until he cried 
for mercy. Big, long-limbed, weighing half as 
much again as Paul Jones, he offered no re- 
sistance — just curled up and blubbered like 
the coward he was, while the onlookers cheered 
the Scotchman with keen delight. Six months 
later, following other discoveries of his duplic- 
ity. Ford was denounced as a spy and traitor 
by the governor of Virginia, and Congress dis- 
honorably dismissed him from the service after 
he had fled to London with valuable papers. 

Before the Ranger sailed under the cap- 
taincy of Mr. Simpson, Paul Jones had met 
the expenses of her crew with the utmost dif- 
ficulty. The credit obtained from his French 
friends did not meet all the heavy obligations, 
and after a while, in order to keep his men 
from starving, he was forced to sell the Drake 
at auction to a French ship-broker. This act 



JOHN PAUL JONES 143 

was strictly against the rules and regulations 
of his country, but in the dire need of his crew 
and prisoners he felt that extreme measures 
must be adopted to raise the funds which he 
could get in no other manner. With this money 
he managed to pay off all indebtedness, and so 
it was with a clear conscience, if a bitter heart, 
that he saw the sly Simpson finally make off 
with his own ship, and many of his crew, leav- 
ing him alone in a foreign land. 

War had now broken out between England 
and France, and Paul Jones was detained in 
Europe at the request of the Erench Minister 
of Marine. This official, De Sartine, wished an 
important command to be assigned to the 
famous conqueror of the Drake. The difficul- 
ties in the way, however, were great. The 
American commissioners had few resources, in 
addition to which one of them — Lee — was hos- 
tile to the Scotchman ; and the French had more 
native officers clamoring for the better ships 

than they had such vessels. 

Thus, about all that could be offered was 
the command of small warships or privateers, 
offers which the proud Jones promptly re- 
jected. To M. Chaumont he wrote, in this 



144 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

connection, a letter containing the following 
extracts: "I wish to have no connection with 
any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend 
to go in harm's way. Therefore buy a frigate 
with sails fast, and that is sufficiently large to 
carry twenty-six or twenty-eight guns on her 
deck. I would rather be shot ashore than go 
to sea in the armed prizes I have described." 

He continued his heckling correspondence 
with the greatest energy, alternately cajoling, 
proposing, complaining, begging to be sent on 
some important enterprise. He wrote innu- 
merable letters to De Sartine, Franklin, De 
Chartres, De Chaumont, and many others, and 
finally to the king himself, who granted him 
an interview. More as a result of this confer- 
ence with Louis XV than from other sources, 
he was finally rewarded by being put in com- 
mand of a small squadron. 

At first he was highly delighted with the 
appointment, but as time wore on and he saw 
what a poor assortment of ships and crews he 
had, he was vastly disappointed. But having 
accepted the command, with true heroic pur- 
pose he made up his mind to carry it through 
to the best of his ability. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 145 

The expense of fitting out the expedition was 
the king's, while the flag and the commissions 
of the officers were American. The object of 
the French government was to get Paul Jones 
to operate against the coasts and shipping of 
England under the American flag, as the court- 
esy of warfare forbade France, as an ally, to 
ravage the coasts of Great Britain before the 
enemy herself had struck a blow at French 
interests. 

As stated, Paul Jones had a motley array 
of ships — those which were left over after the 
French officers had had their pick. The flag- 
ship, the Bon Homme Richard, was a worn- 
out old East Indiaman, which he refitted and 
armed with six 18-pounders, twenty-eight 12- 
pounders. and eight 9-pounders — a battery o^ 
forty-two guns. The crew consisted of 375 
men of many nationalities, among which were 
not more than one hundred and fifty Ameri- 
cans, including Wannashego, who had faith- 
fully stuck to his leader during all his trials 
in Brest. The Alliance , the only American 
ship, was a good frigate rating as a large 
thirty-two or medium thirty-six. She was 
commanded by a jealous-minded, half -mad 



146 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Frenchman named Landais, who was in the 
American service. The Pallas, thirty-two 
guns ; the Vengeance, twelve guns ; and the lit- 
tle Cerf, of eight guns, were all officered and 
manned by Frenchmen. 

Bad as were conditions of ship and crew, 
however, there was one other feature of the 
organization which proved a greater handicap 
to the Scotch commodore. This was the fam- 
ous concordat, an agreement between the vari- 
ous commanders of the ships which Paul Jones 
was compelled to sign before his commission 
would be approved by the French minister of 
the navy. While its terms related largely to 
the distribution of prize money, it also con- 
tained clauses which weakened his authority, 
and gave his captains a chance to wink at it if 
they chose. 

The little squadron, accompanied by two 
French privateers, sailed finally from L'Orient 
on August 14, 1779, on what was planned to 
be a fifty-days' cruise. Thanks to the Duch- 
esse De Chartres's gift of ten thousand louis 
d'or, Paul Jones had been able to fit out his 
flag-ship in a much better condition than the 
king's fund would have permitted. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 147 

On the 18th the privateer Monsieur j which 
was not bound by the concordat^ took a prize 
which the captain of that vessel proceeded to 
relieve of all valuables and then ordered into 
port. The commodore opposed this, and sent 
the prize to L 'Orient. This so angered the 
Monsieur's captain that he parted company 
with the squadron. 

But the episode was only the beginning of 
Paul Jones's troubles with insubordination of 
officers. While attempting to capture a brig- 
antine, some of his English sailors deserted in 
two of his small boats. These could not be 
overhauled, and Landais insolently upbraided 
the commodore for their loss, declaring that 
thereafter he would act entirely upon his own 
responsibility (which indeed he had been doing 
right along ! ) . The Cerf and the other priva- 
teer then pretended to go off to look for the 
escaped former English prisoners, and they too 
failed to appear again. 

Paul Jones was now left with only the Bon 
Homme Richard, the Pallas, the Vengeance, 
and the Alliance. It would have been better, 
as later events showed, if the latter ship had 
decamped with the Cerf and the privateers; 



148 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

for Captain Landais impudently ignored all 
of Paul Jones's signals. He even had the 
audacity to leave the squadron for several 
days at a time, as the cruise continued, return- 
ing when the whim seized him. When other 
prizes were taken he was bold enough to send 
two of these into Bergen, Norway, where they 
were sold to the English, a procedure entirely 
against the wishes of the commodore, and one 
which was a source of trouble between Den- 
mark and the United States for many years 
after the war. 

Paul Jones was also compelled to humor the 
other French captains. Several times he 
changed his course or modified his operations 
in compliance with their demands. Had he 
enjoyed an absolute command he would have 
carried out his pet scheme of laying Leith and 
Edinburgh under contribution, but he was so 
afraid that such a venture would miscarry, 
owing to the uncertain behavior of his men, 
that he gave it up. 

With his old flag-ship, his ragged squadron, 
and his unruly officers, Paul Jones then cruised 
along the Yorkshire coast, and succeeded in 
capturing a number of vessels. Finally, as he 



JOHN PAUL JONES 149 

was preparing to end his disappointing voyage 
at The Texel, Holland, in accordance with 
Dr. Franklin's orders, chance threw in his way 
the opportunity for making the cruise a bril- 
liant success. 

And, Jones-like, this opportunity he seized 
eagerly. He saw in a flash that it was his one 
moment for restoring his waning power to its 
former pinnacle. 



XIII 

FIGHTING FRIEND AND FOE 

It was on the 23d of September, when the 
squadron was chasing a small ship off Flam- 
borough Head, that a number of distant sails 
were seen rounding the point. A long, steady 
look through his glass convinced Commodore 
Jones that he could not be mistaken: that this 
was the Baltic fleet of merchantmen which he 
had heard were in that vicinity, and which he 
had hoped he might meet before he reached The 
Texel. 

Without delay Paul Jones hoisted the signal 
for a general chase. Captain Landais, how- 
ever, ignored the signal, and sailed on by him- 
self. So angry was Paul Jones at this cool 
display of indifference — or cowardice, if that 
it were, — that he stamped his foot on the deck, 
and shouted his feehngs through his speaking- 
trumpet, but it availed nothing; the insolent 
Landais kept right on going. 

When the merchant ships saw Paul Jones's 

160 




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JOHN PAUL JONES 151 

squadron bearing down upon them, they ran 
in under the lee of the shore, and, protected by 
two British frigates which immediately got in 
between them and their foe, made off down the 
coast at their best speed. These English frig- 
ates were the Serapis, sl brand-new ship of 
forty-four guns, and the Countess of Scarhor- 
oughj twenty guns. 

The afternoon sun was well down in the 
heavens by this time. In the far distance, her 
sails glinting white and rosy in the path of the 
sun, and constantly growing smaller, was the 
fleeing Alliance, And not far behind her, in 
pursuit, sped the little Vengeance, whose cap- 
tain Paul Jones had told to try to persuade the 
half -mad Landais to return to his duty. 

This turn of affairs left two ships facing each 
other on each side. Commodore Jones ordered 
Captain Cottineau, of the Pallas, to look after 
the Countess of Scarborough, while he himself 
took care of the Serapis, He never lost his 
head; with that "cool, determined bravery," of 
which Benjamin Franklin spoke, and with 
"that presence of mind which never deserted 
him," recorded by Fanning, he made up his 
mind to make the best of a seemingly hopeless 



152 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

situation, and engage an enemy ship which he 
knew to be the superior of his own in ahnost 
every respect. 

He now crowded on all possible sail, until 
the Bon Homme Richard had come within pis- 
tol shot of the Serapis, It was then seven 
o'clock and the moon was just rising in a clear 
blue sky. Off some distance, the Countess had 
begun to run away, and the little Pallas was 
making after her fiercely. Paul Jones was 
thus left practically alone to meet his big an- 
tagonist of the bristling guns and well-trained, 
perfectly-disciplined crew. 

As the Bon Homme Richard approached 
him, Captain Pearson, of the Serapis , hailed; 
but there was no reply. "I don't like this 
fellow's looks, for all he is apparently less 
powerfid than ourselves," observed the British 
commander to his first officer. Uneasily he 
used his night-glass again. "I wonder if it can 
be the blood-thirsty pirate, Paul Jones," he 
added a moment later. Then he ordered his 
sailing-master to hail again. 

"This is His Majesty's ship Serapis, forty- 
four guns. What ship is that?" 

Still no answer. 



JOHN PAUL JONES 153 

Once more the hail came over the water, 
sharper, more peremptorily. "This is His 
Maj " 

By this time Paul Jones had the Bon 
Homme Richard where he wanted her ; he gave 
a low signal to Richard Dale, who commanded 
the Richard's gun-deck, and Lieutenant Dale 
cried, **Blow your matches, boys!" At his 
words the gunners touched a tiny flame to the 
touch-hole of each big gun on the port side, 
and a heavy broadside was poured into the 
enemy ship. 

But the British captain was not far behind. 
Before the echoes had died out his own guns 
spat fire with a roar, and great clouds of smoke 
drifted up and began to envelope the combat- 
ants. Following this the discharges came fast 
and furious, both the American and British 
crews working their guns with the utmost vigor. 

From the beginning the fight seemed to go 
against the Bon Homme Richard. There was 
hardly any stage of the three and a half hours' 
desperate combat at which Paul Jones would 
not have been excused in lowering his flag — 
had he not been the prodigious fighter he was. 
Hardly had the battle well begun when two 



154 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

of the rust-pitted old 18-pounders exploded, 
killing the men working them and rendering 
the whole battery useless for the rest of the 
action. 

Perceiving this, and anxious to take advan- 
tage of the loss of defense on the lower gun- 
deck resulting, Captain Pearson attempted 
again to pass the bow of the Richard and rake 
her. On the other hand, Commodore Jones's 
whole effort was to close with the enemy and 
board him, for he knew now that it was only a 
question of time, if he did not succeed, before 
his old shell of a vessel would be sunk. 

After the broadsiding had continued with 
unremitting fury for almost an hour. Captain 
Pearson made another effort to get across the 
Richard's bow. But he miscalculated, and the 
two vessels were brought so close together that 
the Richard ran into her enemy's weather quar- 
ter. Paul Jones was quick to make his first 
attempt to board, but the ships swung apart 
before the operation could be completed, and 
those who had reached the Serapis's rail had to 
leap back to save themselves from capture. 

The Bon Homme Richard was now in a sad 
condition. Little of her starboard battery was 



JOHN PAUL JONES 155 

left, and of the 140 odd officers and men sta- 
tioned at the main gun-deck battery at the 
beginning, over eighty had been killed or 
wounded. Numerous holes low in the hull, 
made by the big balls of the Ser apis's 18-pound 
guns, were letting in water at an alarming 
rate. Time and time again did the ship's car- 
penter and his mate stop these up, only to have 
new holes splinter through with a sickening 
sound. 

It is no wonder that Captain Pearson, know- 
ing his enemy was in great distress, thought 
that, when the crew of the other ship had failed 
to board him. Commodore Jones would be 
ready to surrender. 

**Has your ship struck?" he called through 
his trumpet. 

And then Paul Jones made his famous reply : 

"I have not yet begun to fight!" 

After the ships had swung apart they con- 
tinued to fire broadsides into each other. With 
the starboard battery of the Richard practi- 
cally out of commission, however, it is easy to 
see that she worked at a great disadvantage in 
this sort of duehng. Had not a lucky wind 
favored her at this stage, it is likely she could 



156 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

not have floated much longer. This enabled 
her to blanket her enemy, which compelled the 
Serapis to lose all headway By more adroit 
handling of his vessel, waterlogged though 
she was, Paul Jones once more brought 
the ships alongside, bow to bow and stern to 
stern. 

"Now, my fine fellows, lash us together!" 
cried the commodore; and with his own hands 
he helped his men to do the job, while the 
muskets of the British sailors rattled a storm 

of lead among them. 

At this critical time, when Paul Jones was 
bending every nerve to grapple with the Sera- 
pis, the renegade Alliance suddenly made her 
appearance. The hearts of the gallant com- 
mander and his brave lads beat gladly at this 
sight. "Now," thought they, "Landais has 
come back to help us!" 

Judge of their dismay when, as soon as he 
could get within range, the mad French cap- 
tain turned his broadsides not into the British 
frigate but into the already sorely-afflicted Bon 
Homme Richard! She staggered under the 
fresh onslaught, the vicious bite of him who 
should have given aid. The American sailors 



JOHN PAUL JONES 157 

cursed the treacherous Landais, and shook their 
fists at him. If they could have caught him 
they would have rended him limb from limb, 
so violent was their rage. In the midst of the 
maledictions, the culprit turned about and 
made away again, with the strange fickleness 
of purpose that had all along characterised his 
movements. 

As soon as the Serapis and the Richard were 
well lashed together, Paul Jones drew prac- 
tically all his crew from below to the upper 
deck and the tops, leaving only a small force 
to man the three small pieces on the quarter- 
deck. From this upper position they now 
commenced sweeping the decks of the enemy 
with their muskets. The crew of the Serapis, 
on the other hand, were forced to take refuge 
on their lower decks, from which point they 
continued to fire their great guns into the al- 
ready riddled hull and lower decks of the Rich- 
ard. 

Several times Captain Pearson made desper- 
ate attempts to cut the lashings loose, but at 
each of these efforts the fire of the American 
ship's muskets was so accurate and withering 
that British seamen fell one upon another. Not 



158 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

a single British Jack reached the coveted goal, 
if we may except one bold fellow who was 
just opening his heavy Sheffield knife to sever 
the key-rope when an unerring bullet from 
the watchful Wannashego cut short his life. 
In another instance, the young Indian saw a 
British sailor drawing a bead on Paul Jones, 
who stood all unconscious of his peril. There 
was a report — ^but it was the report of Wanna- 
shego's reliable gun instead, and the British 
marine tumbled from the rigging where he was 
concealed. 

Soon all the officers of the French marines 
had been killed or wounded, and Paul Jones 
was forced to take charge of them. His voice 
cheered them on in their own tongue; he ex- 
horted them to take good aim, and when he saw 
a fellow firing ineffectively, he would often 
take his musket from his hand and show him, 
by coolly bringing down one of the foe, how 
he should manipulate it. In fact, toward the 
last the commodore stood on the quarter-deck 
rail by the main topmast backstay, and as he 
gave orders and encouragement, received 
loaded muskets from his marines, and fired 
them with deadly precision. His indomitable 



JOHN PAUL JONES 159 

spirit penetrated every quaking soul, infusing 
it with new hope and new courage. As one 
French sailor said afterward: "Everyone who 
saw his example or heard his voice became as 
much a hero as Paul Jones himself.'' 

By this time both vessels were on fire in sev- 
eral places. Half the men on both ships had 
been killed or disabled. The leaks in the Rich- 
ardfs hold had multiplied, she was much deeper 
in the sea; while the mainmast of the Serapis 
hung in splinters and threatened to go by the 
board at any moment. 

Now, to the surprise of everybody, the cow- 
ardly Landais, with the Alliance ^ once more 
put in an appearance. This time he fired sev- 
eral broadsides into both combatants, seeming 
to take as much delight in hitting one as the 
other. As before, the man who surely could 
not have been sane, put his helm over and sailed 
away — very luckily for the last time. 

While he was making off, a gunner on the 
Richard, thinking the ship was sinking, called 
loudly for quarter. No sooner were the words 
out of his mouth than Paul Jones sprang for- 
ward and felled him with the butt end of his 
pistol. 



160 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

"Do you want quarter?" called Captain 
Pearson. 

"No," roared Paul Jones; "you are the one 
to ask that!" And he purposely sent a pistol 
shot whistling close to the British captain's 
ears. 

As if to make matters worse at this trying 
moment, the master-at-arms on the Richard, 
also thinking the ship sinking, opened the 
hatches and released nearly two hundred Brit- 
ish prisoners, taken from prizes, who began to 
swarm on deck in the greatest confusion! 

It was a moment to try the resourcefulness 
of the quickest intellect. Paul Jones hesitated 
just a moment, then he thundered at the pris- 
oners to man the pumps or he would fill them 
full of lead. They obeyed like dumb-driven 
sheep. As the water in the hold of the sinking 
ship began to pour over her bulwarks into the 
sea again, the men on the Richard resumed the 
battle with new vigor. 

Paul Jones had given orders to drop hand- 
grenades from the rigging down into the hold 
of the SerapiSj through her main hatchway, 
which was open. By this same means the 
enemy had been set afire at various times before. 




BOARDING THE SERAPIS 
From a rare print 



JOHN PAUL JONES 161 

Now, at an opportune moment, a hand-grenade 
fell among a pile of cartridges strung out on 
the deck of the Serapis, A terrific explosion 
occurred, killing many of her men. 

It was an opportunity too good to let go. 
With a shout, the dashing John Mayrant, 
cleared the bulwarks of the enemy ship at the 
head of a yeUing throng of Americans and 
French, and the next moment a terrific hand- 
to-hand struggle with cutlass and pistol was 
being waged. 

Seeing his men faUing back, Captain Pear- 
son knew that he was a defeated man, and 
struck his colors to save those of his crew still 
alive. 

The capture of the British frigate came none 
too soon, for the old shot-torn Bon Homme 
Richard was settling fast. By the combined 
efforts of crew and prisoners, the fire in both 
ships was extinguished. Then all bent their 
efforts to removing the wounded and prisoners 
from the Richard to the Serapis, together with 
ammunition and other valuables. 

All the rest of that night the heroic old craft 
kept afloat, with the Stars-and- Stripes — the 
same flag the Colonial maids of Portsmouth 



162 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

had given Paul Jones upon his departure in 
the Ranger — ^flying proudly at her peak. Then, 
as if waiting for daylight to illuminate her 
last action before man, she slowly sank just as 
the sun came up across the waters in the east. 
The very last vestige anybody saw of her was 
her flag, still flying — ^unstruck! 

When, two years later, Paul Jones returned 
to America, he met Miss Mary Langdon, who 
had been one of the girls to make this ensign. 
"I wished above all things to bring this flag to 
America," said he; "but. Miss Mary, I could 
not bear to strip the old ship in her last agony, 
nor could I deny to my dead on her decks, who 
had given their lives to keep it flying, the glory 
of taking it with them." 

"You have done exactly right, commodore," 
exclaimed she. "That flag is just where we all 
wish it to be — ^flying at the bottom of the sea 
over the only ship that ever went down in vic- 
tory!" 



XIV 

DIPLOMACY AND SOCIETY 

The desperate battle fought in the bright 
moonlight was witnessed by many persons in 
Scarborough and on the Flamborough Head. 
These English people immediately spread the 
alarming tidings throughout the enemy coun- 
try by lighting immense signal fires on the 
cliffs. Although it was not definitely known 
what ship had taken the formidable Serapis, 
nearly everybody rightly guessed that it had 
been captained by the "terrible Paul Jones." 
The British along the sea coast all the way 
from Cape Clear to Hull were in a great 
fright, and for days to come looked for the 
appearance of the "blood-thirsty buccaneer" in 
their particular locality. 

With his two new prizes — for the Pallas had 
succeeded in capturing the Countess of Scar- 
borough after a short engagement — the com- 
modore now set off for The Texel, where he 
arrived October 3. He was none too soon in 

163 



164 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

getting into port, either. Very shortly after 
his arrival an English squadron, consisting of 
sixty-four ships-of-the-line and three heavy 
frigates, which had been looking for him, hove 
into view. 

The scape-goat Landais, with the Alliance , 
was already in The Texel when the American- 
French squadron arrived. Paul Jones at once 
took steps for the care of the wounded and 
prisoners, and then sent special messengers to 
Dr. Franklin with news of the great victory 
and a report of Landais's scandalous behavior, 
demanding that he be court-martialed. 

An important problem now to be solved 
was how to induce the Dutch authorities to 
allow Paul Jones and his battered ships to re- 
main long enough in a neutral port to make 
necessary repairs to carry them to France. In- 
deed, Sir Joseph Yorke, British minister in 
Holland, lost no time in demanding that the 
Dutch government turn over to England "the 
pirate and criminal, Paul Jones, and every 
ship under his command." An enormous 
amount of correspondence then passed between 
the diplomats of the three countries concerned ; 
conferences were held; even Paul Jones him- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 165 

self took a most active hand in presenting his 
arguments in favor of the step he had taken. 
The people of Holland were secretly in sym- 
pathy with the revolting colonies; but the 
wealthy Dutch ship-owners were gaining a rich 
harvest from the commerce with England at 
this time, and they made their weighty power 
felt in setthng the question. These men 
thought the ships should be held by Holland 
until after the war. However, the other con- 
tingent argued them down, and the States- 
General at last sent England the verdict of 
his country, which was to the effect that Hol- 
land would not deliver over the vessels to Eng- 
land, but would insist that they depart from 
Holland waters at the first favorable weather. 
In the meantime, kind-hearted Dutch maids 
thronged the decks of the Serapis, Alliance, 
Pallas and Scarborough, They brought with 
them gifts of food and clothing for the strong 
and healthy, as well as an abundance of delica- 
cies for the sick and wounded. More than one 
rosy-cheeked, fair-haired girl acted as nurse, 
and it is no wonder that under such jolly, ten- 
der care the ailing ones made rapid improve- 
ment. 



166 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

As he watched his ships nearing the finish 
of their repairs, Paul Jones's heart became 
more anxious, and often he looked seaward 
where the British ships were grimly patrolling 
to prevent his escape when the Dutch authori- 
ties should order him out at the first favorable 
wind. He hoped intensely that this sort of 
wind would not come before he had everything 
aboard in readiness and his plans for evading 
the enemy well formed. 

On the 13th of December the French min- 
ister of marine, De Sartine, demanded that he 
should fly the French flag, which naturally 
commanded greater respect from Holland than 
the American ensign. In vain he expostulated 
to this gentleman and to Dr. Franklin, his 
friend in Paris ; the latter stated he thought it 
the best thing to do. Therefore, Paul Jones 
made the change, but with great reluctance. 
It grieved him deeply to see the flag of another 
country, other than that under which the 
Serapis had had to bow down to, fluttering at 
her masthead. 

Close upon the heels of this disappointment 
came another to tear the heartstrings of the ir- 
ritated Scotchman. This was an order for him 



JOHN PAUL JONES 167 

to relinquish supervision of all his ships except 
the Alliance J, which he was to command as an 
ordinary captain. The Serapis he must turn 
over to Captain Cottineau, who, it was said, 
would look after the fortunes of this vessel, 
as well as the Pallas and the Vengeance and 
the Scarborough, in the future. Commodore 
Jones sent vehement protestations at this hu- 
miliating change to the French government 
and the American commissioners, but in vain; 
no other arrangement could well be made, 
wrote Dr. Franklin. So our hero bowed in 
submission, although when he went aboard the 
Alliance as her captain he defiantly pulled 
down the French flag at her peak and ran up 
the Stars-and- Stripes. 

The incessant jangling and wrangling with 
the diplomats of three countries in addition to 
his own, had made Paul Jones very sore at 
heart. Therefore, he was very glad when, on 
Christmas Day, 1779, the weather underwent 
a change which promised him a chance to get 
away from The Texel. That morning he 
awoke to find such a gale blowing that most of 
the patrolling EngHsh frigates were driven off 
the coast. All that day and the next it howled 



168 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

so furiously that he dared not venture to steal 
out himself; but early on the morning of the 
27th he made a dash in the Alliance, boldly 
shaping his course for the Straits of Dover. 

As daring as ever, he sailed down the Eng- 
lish Channel, passing close to the Channel 
Fleet of the enemy. They gave chase, but he 
outmaneuvred them, and finally put in at Co- 
runna, Spain, for repairs. On February 10, 
1780, he sailed into L'Orient. 

The following year was passed mainly in 
France, where Paul Jones applied himself en- 
ergetically to trying to collect prize money for 
his men and himself, and trying to secure an 
important command. He wrote rather more 
than his usual large number of letters, — to 
Franklin, the Duchesse De Chartres, Robert 
Morris, Arthur Lee, Dr. Bancroft, and many 
others, — in an endeavor to carry out some of 
his pet plans for the betterment of war opera- 
tions. In spite of his hard efforts to collect 
this prize money, there were many annoying 
delays caused by technicalities, and his crew 
as a whole grew impatient and rebellious. This 
feeling was increased when the traitor, Lan- 
dais, suddenly appeared among them, and abet- 



JOHN PAUL JONES 169 

ted by Arthur Lee, stirred up the men with 
many lies. 

Wannashego carried this state of aifairs to 
Paul Jones as soon as he became convinced of 
the peril of the situation, but even while he 
was in quest of his friend, Landais and Lee 
went aboard and took possession of the ship. 
When, on his arrival, Paul Jones found what 
had transpired he was so angry that he could 
hardly contain himself. He came very near 
to shooting both the conspirators ; but as usual 
when in a temper he cahned down with sur- 
prising quickness, and departed. The next day 
the Alliance J under the command of Landais, 
sailed for America, with Lee aboard. Paul 
Jones made no effort to prevent it. "Let them 
go," he said to Wannashego; "I am well rid 
of such a pair of precious scoundrels. As for 
the ship, she is not worth fighting over." 

So Landais sailed away with the Alliance, 
but to his own ruin — something the astute 
Scotchman had foreseen. On the voyage Lan- 
dais's eccentricity caused his friend Lee to put 
him under arrest, and on arrival in America a 
court of inquiry found him unfit for command, 
and he never burdened the service again. 



170 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Paul Jones had arrived in Paris this time 
in a blaze of fame. He was lionized by soci- 
ety, congratulated by royalty, was the idol of 
women high and low. He was bidden by the 
Due and Duchesse De Chartres to be their 
guest at the Palais Royal, and occupied one of 
the splendid apartments of that historic dwell- 
ing during his stay in Paris. As soon as the 
Duchesse had received the commodore's let- 
ter acquainting her with his victory over the 
Serapis — in these words : "The enemy surren- 
dered at thirty-five minutes past 10:00 p. m. 
by your watch, which I consult only to fix the 
moment of victory" — she prepared to give a 
great ball in his honor. 

And now that Paul Jones was present in per- 
son, the charming Duchesse could not seem to 
do enough to attest her regard for him. She 
gave a wonderful banquet, with him as the 
chief guest. As the evening waned he asked 
her if she remembered his promise to lay an 
English frigate at her dainty feet. On hear- 
ing her assent, he turned to an attendant, who 
had been holding the sword surrendered by 
Captain Pearson, and taking this he dropped 
gracefully on one knee and presented it to the 



JOHN PAUL JONES 171 

beautiful Duchesse with these words: "While 
I am unable to lay so large a thing as a frigate 
at the feet of your Royal Highness, I never- 
theless am able to surrender to the loveHest of 
women the sword surrendered by one of the 
bravest of men on such a frigate." 

Of course the petite Aimee De Telusson 
was present at this meeting, and to her, as 
usual, Paul Jones gallantly paid the most 
marked attention. His gayety was contagious. 
His wit was the wonder of all those assembled. 
With one and all he was a favorite, this son of 
a poor Scotch gardener. 



XV 

AND THE LAST 

For some time Benjamin Franklin, know- 
ing the need of supplies for Washington's 
army, had been soliciting Paul Jones to take 
command of the Ariel and transport such goods 
from France to America. But the Scotch com- 
modore, dissatisfied with the humbleness of a 
command on such a small sloop, had held off 
stubbornly, hoping that in the meantime a ship 
of greater caliber and importance would be 
presented to him. Honors bestowed upon him 
by the King of France, wherein he had been 
presented with the Royal Order of Military 
Merit and a beautiful gold sword, seemed to 
have increased his native unbounded ambitions 
and to have almost spoiled him for anything 
but the most exalted of offices. 

But on October 8, 1780, he finally sailed 
away in the Ariel, having a goodly number of 
his old crew with him, including his valiant 
young Indian friend Wannashego, who was 

172 



JOHN PAUL JONES 173 

now eager to see his home country and people, 
from whom he had been away just one month 
short of three years. The young Narragan- 
sett's muscles were like steel bands now, and 
not a member of the Ariel's crew could throw 
him. This had been amply attested in the 
wrestling bouts which took place on the eve of 
the ship's departure from L'Orient, when 
Commodore Jones had given an elaborate fare- 
well party. On this occasion the little Ariel 
had been bewitchingly decorated from stern to 
bow, the finest people of France had been in 
attendance, and a wonderful mimic sham bat- 
tle had been shown, a replica of that terrible 
fight between the Bon Homme Richard and 
the Serapis, 

The little Ariel arrived in Philadelphia the 
18th of February, 1781, and there her com- 
mander took affectionate leave of Wanna- 
shego. For five years the young Narragansett 
Indian had fought at Paul Jones's side, never 
once flinching, and therefore he seemed more 
like a younger brother than a friend. At this 
time the Scotchman himself was thirty-three 
years old. 

Upon his arrival the commodore called on 



174 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

many of his friends, and then proposed hav- 
ing an investigation of the doings of his enemy, 
Arthur Lee. But his friends dissuaded him 
from this. With the whole country ringing 
his praises, as had been the case when he left 
France, it was easy for him to forgive his ene- 
mies. Congress passed resolutions in which 
they complimented him for his victories and 
service to the States, and a most appreciative 
letter was written him by the great George 
Washington himself. 

It now seemed to Paul Jones a favorable 
time to improve his rank — an object he never 
lost sight of! — and on May 28 he sent a 
memorial to Congress reiterating his claims to 
stand above the captains who had been un- 
justly put ahead of him. He failed, probably 
on account of the political influence of the 
aforesaid captains; but he was rewarded with 
the command of the America, a fine new 74- 
gun ship-of-the-line then building at Ports- 
mouth. He at once went to Portsmouth, and 
worked for weeks getting her ready for sea — 
only to have her turned over to the King of 
France! 

With undaunted energy he now attempted 



JOHN PAUL JONES 175 

to get hold of the South Carolina, formerly the 
Indien, But the plan failed, and he remained 
without a vessel. Unable to rest, although his 
health had for some time been failing, he was 
given consent to go off with the French fleet 
under Marquis De Vaudreuil, "in pursuit of 
military marine knowledge," as he termed his 
object. Then, in the summer of 1783, came an 
attack of fever. On his recovery, he was ap- 
pointed by Congress as agent to collect all 
moneys due from the sale of prizes taken in 
European waters under his command. In 
this work he showed unusual business tact and 
ability. 

When the war closed, he began a profitable 
business in illimiinating oils, and continued his 
activities in securing prize money until all ac- 
coimts had been settled. Then Paul Jones 
set off for Copenhagen to collect indemnity 
from the Danish government for the prizes the 
mad Landais had delivered to Bergen, and 
which that country had turned over to Eng- 
land before the declaration of hostilities be- 
tween the two. He arrived in January, 1788, 
and was magnificently entertained by the court, 
being given a pension of 1500 crowns a year 



176 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

*'for respect shown to the Danish flag" while 
he commanded in the European seas. The ne- 
gotiations for indemnity were suspended and 
transferred, with his agreement, to Paris. 

When Paul Jones was in Paris, the Russian 
ambassador to France made a proposition to 
him, through Mr. Jefferson, to take a position 
in the Russian navy. Russia was then at war 
with Turkey, and the clever Simolin so im- 
pressed the Scotch captain with the great deeds 
he might do for the benefit of the Russian em- 
pire and the distress of the Turks, that he at 
once began to maneuver for the highest com- 
mand possible. He demurred at the rank of 
captain-commandant, a rank equal to that of 
brigadier-general in the present United States 
army — and maintained that nothing less than 
that of rear-admiral was fitting. This was 
allowed. 

Our h©ro left Copenhagen on his ill-fated 
Russian mission, April 11, and made a flying 
and perilous trip to St. Petersburg. The 
Baltic was filled with ice blocks, but at the 
muzzle of his pistols the intrepid Scotchman 
forced two frightened and unwilling boatmen 



JOHN PAUL JONES 177 

to row him across the turbulent stream. On 
April 23 he was presented to the Empress, 
and she conferred upon him the coveted rank 
of rear-admiral, to the profound disgust of 
many of the English officers in the service of 
Russia, who looked upon the newcomer as a 
red-handed and infamous pirate. 

With many a jealous eye on him, Paul Jones 
departed from St. Petersburg on May 7, to 
take command of the Russian squadron in the 
Black Sea. But even while he was leaving 
envy and hate behind him, he was going for- 
ward into feehng even more bitter. His for- 
tune put him in co-command with an arrogant 
adventurer, the Prince of Nassau, who at once 
became extremely jealous of the American. 
Nassau advised him to allow Prince Potemkin, 
in charge of the fleet, to take the credit for any 
success which might result from an engage- 
ment, and to hold his tongue — ^two things 
which Paul Jones's nature would not allow 
him to do. 

It is not advisable to enter into the details 
of this campaign, but enough may be given 
to explain some of the difficulties the man from 
across the sea encountered. Following some 



178 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

unimportant engagements, Captain Pacha, 
whose fleet lay before Oczakow, protecting that 
Turk-infested town from the Russian ships, 
attempted to attack the Russian fleet. But 
one of his ships ran aground, and the others 
anchored in much confusion. Paul Jones then 
made such a fierce attack that the Turkish 
ships cut anchor and fled, with him in pursuit. 
He signaled Nassau to join him, but the lat- 
ter paid no attention, and continued to fire 
inhumanely into two others of the enemy which 
were aground and ablaze. Paul Jones then 
continued on after the fleeing Turkish ships, 
many of which he captured or ran aground. 
Later on, the cowardly Nassau came up and 
proceeded to rake the helpless enemy fore and 
aft, killing most of their crews while they 
pleaded for quarter. 

Paul Jones was so disgusted and incensed 
at this conduct that he . publicly upbraided 
Prince Nassau, gaining his further ill-will, 
and bringing down upon his head a rebuke from 
the crafty Prince Potemkin. To add to his 
anger, when the Empress made her awards of 
bravery for this battle, Nassau received the 
warmest praise and a valuable estate, while 




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JOHN PAUL JONES 1X9 

Paul received only the mediocre award of the 
Order of St, Anne. 

A little later the despotic Potemkin had 
made up his mind that he could not get along 
with the independent and fiery American sea- 
man, and secured an order which sent him into 
the northern seas. This was practically a dis- 
missal for Paul Jones, who returned to St. 
Petersburg in virtual disgrace. By this time, 
too. Empress Catherine had had her ears so 
filled with the lies of his enemies, who seemed 
to take delight in besmirching his character 
and causing him every annoyance possible, 
even to the extent of intercepting his mail, that 
she was sincerely anxious to get rid of the man 
whom she had only a little while before ad- 
mired so greatly. She did not dare to do this 
openly, however, owing to his powerful influ- 
ence in France, which she feared ; so promised 
him an important coromand in the Baltic seas, 
a command which she secretly made up her 
mind should never come his way. 

Patiently Paul Jones waited in his humble 
lodgings in St. Petersburg for this commis- 
sion. Days rolled by. Weeks rolled by. 
Months began to multiply. While he waited. 



180 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

he was falsely accused, in March, 1789, of an 
atrocious crime, and forbidden to approach 
the palace of the Empress. But for the 
French ambassador, M. De Segur, who had a 
strong influence with the Empress, and who 
proved that Paul Jones was the victim of a 
plot, it is hard to tell how he would have come 
out of this difficulty. As it was, Catherine 
once more received him graciously, with pro- 
fuse apologies. 

But Paul Jones's health, largely owing to 
the indignities heaped upon him in Russia, was 
now fast failing; he asked for two years' 
leave of absence, and it was granted. His 
services to that country were considerable, yet 
they have never to this day been recognized. 
As an instance of the ridiculous reports circu- 
lated about him, we will state that he was said 
to have murdered his nephew — a person who 
had never existed! Can we wonder that the 
sensitive soul of this brave man was shattered 
after his harrowing experiences? Can we 
wonder that his iron-clad constitution, which 
should have held life in him not less than four- 
score years, began to go to pieces when he was 
still a young man? 



JOHN PAUL JONES 181 

On August 18, 1789, Paul Jones left St. 
Petersburg, never to return, and never again 
to fight a battle for any nation. He was only 
forty-two years old, but though still brave in 
spirit, so undermined in physical strength that 
he remained in Paris and became a spectator 
rather than an actor in the great French Revo- 
lution, then taking place. 

Acquainted with men of all nationalities and 
in the highest and most influential positions, 
Paul Jones, now that he could do little else, 
settled down to entertaining his friends and 
being entertained himself. Always he seemed 
happiest when with the charming Aimee De 
Telusson, who to the very end of his last hours 
remained ever with him, a faithful and de- 
voted nurse. Had he continued to live in 
health and strength there is little doubt but 
that he would have taken this beautiful, un- 
selfish, and loving girl, the daughter of a king, 
to be his wife, for of all his many warm women 
friends, with her he was ever the most tender 
and considerate. 

A stranger to illness, a conqueror of trou- 
bles which had seemed far more formidable to 
him, Paul Jones never doubted his recovery. 



182 FAMOUS AMERICANS 

Even when the doctors shook their heads and 
said his left lung was entirely gone and the 
other affected, he smiled and did not give up. 
His wonderful Scotch constitution held out 
amazingly. A number of times it looked as if 
he would win his battle with Death, for he 
would rise from his bed and seem his old ener- 
getic self again. 

But gradually his strength was sapped. On 
the afternoon of the 18th of July, 1792, when 
forty-five years old, he consigned himself to 
the inevitable, and, assisted by Gouverneur 
Morris, drew up his will. A few hours after- 
ward, while he lay in bed, his great spirit 
quietly departed. 

In 1905, the American Embassy in Paris 
exhumed the body of America's glorious hero, 
after it had lain hidden for one hundred and 
thirteen years in the abandoned Cemetery of 
St. Louis. Under escort of one of our finest 
naval squadrons the body was brought to the 
United States and buried with much cere- 
mony in Arlington, the National Cemetery at 
Washington. 



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